Silent Snow
by toothlessturtle21
Summary: AU. Zane is born mute to a wealthy family, promised a luxurious life. But a murdered mother and an abusive and neglectful father strip him of any hope of life until he's fifteen, where he meets a few people that may very well turn his life around. The real lesson? Family is who you choose, not who you were born to.
1. Chapter 1

"Zane Julien..." Sensei muttered as he approached the massive mansion. "I didn't even know Julien had a son."

He knocked at the door, the Julien crest donning the polished wood. A butler answered the door, and raised an eyebrow.

"Can you not read? The sign clearly says-"

"I know what the sign says. This is urgent."

"The Master is not expecting any visitors right-"

"I'll only need a minute. Please."

The butler thought for a minute, and then sighed. He disappeared into the house, and Julien appeared a few minutes later, long white hair tied back into a ponytail. He wasn't old by any means, but the white hair ran in his family. As did the insane fortune the entire family possessed, which meant that this man's son was likely to be as spoiled as his father. Hopefully, the teen took after his late mother.

"What do you want?" He asked harshly, his teeth white enough to star in a toothpaste commercial. "I'm very busy, old man."

"I only want a minute. Your son-"

"I don't have a son," He responded coldly, too quick to be true. "Leave."

"But I-"

He was cut off with a slam of the door to his face. Wu almost knocked again, but instead just sat on a bench near the doors of the mansion. A few hours later, a small figure appeared out of the side of the house holding a bucket, a long cloak obscuring any of its features. Sensei hastily made his way over, and the person froze in their tracks when they heard his footsteps.

"Excuse me, I would just like to ask you a few questions," Wu approached, and the figure removed the hood. A young teenager with white hair stared back, eyes scared and nothing like the cold determination Julien possessed. "What's your name?"

The boy froze, unsure of what to do, before he pointed to his throat and shook his head.

"Are you sick?"

Another head shake.

"Wait, are you mute?"

A nod. The teen flinched like Wu was going to reach out and smack him, and the implications of that alone made Sensei's mind go crazy with everything that could've happened to the boy.

"Are you Zane?"

The boy nodded slightly, dumbfounded. Now that he knew who he was for sure, Zane did look an awful lot like his mother. The same shade of blue eyes, and a short stature. He couldn't have been taller than five foot seven. Then again, he was still young.

"Do you know any sign language?" Wu asked, and Zane winced. Setting the bucket down, Zane made a few motions, but quickly drew his hands back, crossing his arms.

"I'll take that as a yes. How would you like to come with me? I can promise you a better life," Sensei offered, and saw the spark in the boy's eyes. He nodded eagerly, ditching the cloak. Under it, he wore a simple white button down with black dress pants. Casual attire for such an important family.

"Do you have anything you want to grab from the mansion?" Sensei asked, and Zane shook his head, glancing back only for a brief moment. "Well, let's go then."

* * *

"There's another one? And here I thought Jay was bad enough!" Cole jokingly rolled his eyes, and Jay elbowed him.

"Contrary to Jay, you may have to be more careful with your jabs, Cole."

"And why is that?" Jay asked.

"He comes from an abusive family, and even the smallest gestures may cause him panic."

Any laughter in the two students' eyes drained quickly.

"Oh," Cole said awkwardly, and Sensei left to retrieve his new pupil. When he returned, Zane trailed close behind him, practically stepping on his shoes.

"Hi," Jay said softly. "What's your name, kid?"

Zane froze, and Sensei realized he had forgotten to tell them about the whole mute thing.

"His name is Zane. My apologies, I forgot to tell you both. He's mute."

Jay's mouth quirked into a weird smile.

 _Hi, my name's J-A-Y. I know sign language, if that helps_ _._ Jay signed, and Zane stared before signing back tentatively.

 _Why do you know sign language? You are clearly not deaf or mute._

 _I had a deaf friend growing up._

"Um, am I supposed to know what's going on?" Cole asked, and Zane quickly signed _sorry_ before shrinking back. Jay shot him a dirty look, and started signing again.

 _It's alright, that's C-O-L-E. He's loud, but a real nice guy once you get past the gruffness._

 _Where do you keep your paper and pens? I am supposed to write, not sign."_

"What?" Jay said verbally, confused. "I'm fairly sure signing is normal, dude." It was then that he noticed that the boy's hands were shaking.

"Woah, are you ok?" Cole went to grab his hands to steady them, but Zane flinched, pulling away. Cole stepped back, remembering what Sensei warned them about.

"Stop," Sensei said softly, as not to alarm Zane even more. He was wide-eyed, waiting for a blow or a hand around his neck or anything else that would leave a mark visible for days afterwards.

"Yes, Sensei," Both ninja answered quietly in unison, bowing slightly. He motioned for them to leave, and they did, Jay glancing back as he left with worry written all over his face.

Zane's heart was still hammering, but the panic in his eyes was slowly dying down.

"You're safe here, Zane. I promise. I know it'll take you a while to believe it, but no one here is going to hurt you," Sensei said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Zane tensed, but slowly relaxed, his shaking fingers stilling.

"Now come, I'll show you to your room. We can go shopping tomorrow for new clothes for you. For now, I'm afraid you'll have to sleep in those clothes." Sensei led Zane though the hallways, the boy trying to create a mental map of the monastery in his head. Escape routes were always useful. For now, he just had to trust that he wouldn't have to run anytime soon, and that his new Sensei wasn't lying when he said that no harm would come to him in this strange, unfamiliar place.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Thank you all soooo much for the support on the first chapter! To answer a few questions, Zane is human and this Julien isn't the same as Doctor Julien. Also, Target and Starbucks are totally canon. Enjoy!**

* * *

Zane couldn't sleep. It wasn't just because of the new environment and the new people, the fact that for the first time in his life he was in an actual bed and had an actual room was really throwing him off. After years of only having an air mattress in the basement, having sheets felt so weird that Zane ended up sleeping on the floor, not wanting to strip the bed incase someone in the Monastery took offense to it.

Curled up on the floor with Jay and Cole in their respective bunks, he stared straight ahead at the wall, trying to figure out where he stood here. No one had hurt him yet, but he had only met two-thirds of them for less than five minutes. Sensei seemed nice, but he wasn't sure if his judgement of nice was the same as everyone else's. The thoughts kept spiraling, until he finally drifted off to sleep three hours before he was supposed to wake up.

Usually, Sensei sounded a gong to wake the two boys up, since Cole slept like a rock, but he instead opted to gently shake each boy awake, not surprised when Zane jumped upon seeing his face. Both of the others had taken a bit to get used to it too. While the two older boys blinked the sleep out of their eyes, Zane shot up, brushing off his shirt.

"Good morning, Zane," Sensei greeted, and Zane nodded in response. Sensei frowned. "How do you say it in sign language?"

Zane looked a little shocked before signing it, dropping his hand from his chin to his other hand before moving it down from his arm to his wrist, tilting his forearm up slightly.

"No gong this morning?" Jay asked sleepily, looking over at Sensei and Zane. His teacher shook his head, and Zane just blinked.

"What're the plans for today, Sensei?" Cole rubbed his eyes, standing.

"A bit of stretching, then we will go out for some necessities that Zane will need."

"Sweet, a day off!" Jay laughed, getting up as well. Zane hadn't realized before how tall Cole was or that Jay was a few inches taller than him until they were standing right next to him, practically looming over him. He unconsciously stood a little straighter, but considering how his posture was pretty much perfect at this point in his life, it didn't help much.

Turning to Zane, Jay smiled. _I forgot to ask last night. How old are you?_

 _Fifteen._

"You're fifteen?" Jay gawked. "I thought you were like, late teens like I am!"

"Wait, you're that young? You're not even stereotypical young adult protagonist age yet," Cole chuckled, and Zane cocked his head.

 _Sixteen, he means. I'm nineteen, and Cole is twenty, in case you were wondering._

"Hey, Jay, for our benefit, could you actually tell us what you guys are saying?" Cole asked, frowning. It was one thing to have someone whisper. It was another to have someone openly talk in front of you in a language you didn't understand.

"Yeah, sure. I just told him how old we are."

"Gotcha. Hey, who's ready for breakfast?"

Zane visibly perked up, and Jay assumed it was because of the promise of food.

"Well, someone's hungry," He smiled, and Zane looked like he wanted to say something, but kept his hands still.

The four travelled to the kitchen, where Jay pulled out boxes of cereal.

"Alright, Zane, take your pick. We have Captain Crunch, Fruit Loops..." Jay paused while he dug out another box.

 _What recipe are you planning for?_

"Hm? Oh, we don't cook this stuff. Wait, you have eaten cereal before, right?" The brunette gasped, and when Zane shook his head, he slammed his hands down on the table in a pure burst of emotion, which made Zane jump. Instead of signing back, Zane crossed his arms, shaking his head. Jay remembered a split second later, and pulled his hands away, a part of him hoping it would undo the reaction.

Cole put a gentle hand on Zane's back, and he stiffened.

"Zane, buddy, deep breaths, ok? Just in, and out..." He instructed, and Zane nodded shakily, untucking his hands.

 _I can make something, if you wish._

 _You can cook?_

 _I'm not amazing, but I have made omelets and pastries fairly often._

 _Wait, this was something you were forced to do. I'm not letting you do that._

 _Cooking is one of the only things I actually enjoyed._

Zane flushed, and Jay looked at him like he was trying to figure out if he was lying or not.

"Alright Zane, go nuts."

A half hour later, the three older residents had omelets sitting in front of them, stuffed with anything Zane could get his hands on, from cheese to bacon to even some potato thrown in. Cole scarfed his down so fast Zane ended up making him another one, and sat down after he had prepared Cole's second.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Sensei asked, and Zane shook his head, signing something to Jay.

"He says he doesn't usually eat in the mornings. It _is_ pretty early," Jay shrugged.

"Just tell us when you get hungry, ok?" Cole said, swallowing a bite. Zane didn't really respond, instead taking in the sight of the room around him, his face not really giving away any emotion.

 _What are you thinking about?_ Jay asked, and Zane took a second to construct his thoughts.

 _I supposed I am unused to everything. Just thinking._

 _Yeah. Hey! Fun fact about me, my parents named me a pun, my last name is W-A-L-K-E-R. I used to hate it, but now I think it's kind of funny._

Jay delighted in the small smile he coaxed out of the blonde, but he went back to his neutral expression soon after. Jay made it his goal for the day to get Zane to smile again.

* * *

Later that day, Jay and Cole were practically dragging Zane through a mall, his eyes wide at the sheer amount of stores. Who knew there were such things as stores devoted entirely to candles? Sensei had left them to buy clothes and necessities for Zane while he sat at the food court drinking his tea, and they were dragging him to a store they had called "Target" first.

Once inside the store that had a massive red bulls eye painted on the front, Zane somehow felt even smaller. And he thought his family's mansion was big!

"Alright, we should hit up the bathroom stuff first," Cole started walking at a brisk pace, and Zane struggled to keep up. They filled up part of the cart with a toothbrush, comb, shampoo, deodorant, and basically anything else he needed before heading over to the clothes.

Zane, who was pretty dazed by now, just kind of trailed behind, marveling at the number of ways they managed to label a berry scent on the shampoo bottles. Once they reached the clothes, they gave Zane more free reign, but then soon regretted it. Zane had absolutely no sense of style.

When he had picked out two white shirts and two pairs of black pants, Cole sighed and turned him around.

"No, dude, see all of this color and variety? Go for that."

Zane shifted uncomfortably, putting the clothes back. Jay handed him a few t-shirts and some jeans, and ushered him into the neared changing room. Zane came out a few minutes later in a pair of dark blue jeans and a black shirt with the logo for Starbucks plastered on the front, and Cole smiled.

"There you go, much more casual. You a coffee fan?" He asked, and Zane shook his head.

 _Never had it._

Jay gasped in fake horror, and Zane eyed him cautiously. Cole elbowed Jay in the ribs, and the brunette straightened up, remembering his audience.

"What's wrong?" Cole said sarcastically, and Zane was about to sign _nothing_ when Jay blurted out the translation.

"Zane's never had coffee! Dude, you can't wear a Starbucks shirt and live a life free of coffee goodness!"

Jay promised that he was going to turn Zane's life around the whole time they were checking out, and practically ran to the nearest Starbucks. Which was on the other side of the mall.

Panting, Zane stood awkwardly behind Jay as he ordered a hazelnut iced coffee, and handed it to Zane after with a straw poked through the lid.

"There's cream and sugar in here, so you should be fine. We can always just add more if you need it," Jay rambled, and Zane took a tentative sip. The flavor exploded in his mouth, and Jay could swear he saw Zane's eyes light up.

Zane gulped it down pretty fast, to put it lightly. He was still shaking from caffeine intake a half hour later, when they were walking back to a bus stop to bring them closer to the Monastery.

It was about three in the afternoon, and Zane was still yet to eat.

"Hey, Zane, you hungry yet?" Cole asked, and Zane shook his head. "C'mon, you haven't eaten all day. All you've had is an iced coffee!"

 _I don't eat much. Didn't really have much to eat._

"Oh," Jay gulped, just noticing now how skinny Zane was. Cole seemed to get the hint, nodding grimly, and Sensei looked at Zane with a pain in his eyes, and the three of them seemed to have an unspoken agreement.

"Hey, there's a good ice cream place just around the corner. What about we go there?" Jay suggested, and Cole nodded, looking to Sensei for approval. Their teacher nodded, and Zane looked at the ground.

"What's wrong?" Cole said, looking down at Zane, who maintained a neutral expression.

"Hey, bud, we don't have to go. Just tell me if we're going to drag you into something you don't want to do. Are you feeling ok?" Jay asked, and Zane shook his head slightly.

 _Overwhelmed,_ Zane signed, eyes drooping.

"OK, we'll head back to the Monastery," Jay nodded, and cast a glance at the other two. They walked the rest of the way in silence, the only sound being the rustling of plastic bags on their arms.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! In response to a question left in the reviews, I LOVE Magnus Chase, and I am aware that Zane and Hearth are super similar. Also, for Julien, picture him like Lotor from Voltron, but with not-purple skin. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Cole woke up, but he wasn't sure why. He stared at the clock until it came into focus, hoping it wasn't time to get up already. 3:24 AM. Better than nothing. Cole sighed, rolling onto his back, just about drifting off again when a whimper brought him out of his half-awake state. He quickly rolled over fully, and saw Zane curled on the ground, dressed in the new pajamas they had bought yesterday, breathing heavily and shaking. Cole got out of bed, cautiously stepping over to the teen.

"Zane?" Cole asked, unsure if he was awake or not. No response. Cole took a deep breath and carefully shook Zane awake, making him jump. He scrambled back against the bed, arms raised and ready to block.

"Zane, it's ok, it's just me. You're ok," Cole knelt down, and Zane relaxed a little, although he was still shaking. "Here, come on, let's get you some fresh air."

Cole stood, and reached his hand out for Zane to pull himself up with, and he took it, albeit hesitantly. Cole lead him out onto the training deck, the dragon statue lying dormant in the middle. Zane looked up at the stars, and found himself gazing into the sky for a while, not used to such a view. Cole couldn't help but smile at Zane's wonder.

The language barrier in between them stopped Cole from asking everything he wanted to. He had so many questions about the teen, ranging from where he came from and what his life was like to what his favorite color was or if he liked pineapple on his pizza. In the few minutes of silence, the shaking in Zane's fingers had mostly stilled, and for the first time, he looked almost calm.

Cole shivered. It was _really_ chilly out. Too cold for the pajamas both boys were wearing. Yet, Zane seemed unaffected, hands clasped behind his back and eyes turned up to the stars. His hair practically glowed under the moonlight, a little messy from sleeping, and the light breeze wasn't helping the neatness. His own dark hair flopped in his eyes, and his darker skin practically camouflaged him compared to Zane, who was so pale that Cole could almost see the veins beneath his skin.

Cole realized Zane had stopped watching the sky a while ago, and was probably wondering why Cole was studying him like an abstract painting.

"Sorry," Cole said, looking away with a sigh. That was awkward.

Zane just nodded, and noting the goosebumps forming on Cole's arms, gently tugged as his bunched up sleeves and tilted his head towards the door.

"Yeah, let's go inside."

Once in the Monastery, Cole made them cups of hot chocolate, which was kept around because Jay had the flavor palette of a toddler. When Zane received it, he stared at it curiously, warming his hands around the mug.

"Let me guess, you haven't had hot chocolate before?"

Zane shook his head, and after watching Cole take a sip, tried it for himself. It was almost too hot, and he recoiled at first, not expecting the intense heat. Cole couldn't help but laugh.

"Sorry, must be a bit hot. Just blow on it a little. Or just smile through the pain," Cole shrugged and continued drinking his. Zane took another sip, expecting the heat, and was pleasantly surprised at the flavor.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being the occasional sip of their drinks. Once they were emptied, Cole lead Zane into the game room, which had a few discs laying around.

"Gaming at three thirty in the morning is probably a bad idea, but we can just watch TV for a bit until we get tired. There's probably a really bad movie on somewhere," Cole flicked through the channels until he stopped at a comedy, turning the volume down low. They sat on the old couch, ignoring the half eaten bag of chips sitting on the floor.

Although Cole was bored a few minutes in, Zane seemed entranced, even though it was a pretty crappy TV and the laugh tracks were played after lines that Cole didn't even think were jokes.

"Zane?"

The teen looked over, hands folded in his lap, not very relaxed anymore.

"Do you have nightmares a lot?" Cole asked, and Zane nodded slightly, taking a deep breath. "Are they about your old life, like where you used to live?" Another nod.

All Cole wanted to do was hug the poor guy, but the way Zane was fiddling with his hands in his lap told him no.

"Now, let's go back to bed," Cole stood, and Zane followed. They entered their room quietly, Cole making sure Zane was going to actually sleep in a bed this time before crawling into his own, drifting off almost immediately.

* * *

The wake up call came all too soon.

"Ugh," Jay exclaimed, covering his eyes. "Can we not just sleep for once?"

"Tomorrow you can. Today is for training," Sensei said, and Jay groaned. Zane seemed pretty awake, and Cole wished he could say the same.

Jay looked down the Zane, who was on the bunk below him, and smiled.

 _Hey, you used the bed this time._

 _Only for the second half of the night._

"Second half?" Jay raised an eyebrow, and Cole mouthed _later_.

Jay nodded, and slid down off his bed.

Another breakfast of muffins was served, and Jay checked the mailbox.

"Oh, we have one for me, a promotion for Jacob's Diner, and from... the Juliens? Aren't they like, that super rich family that owns that electronics company?" He asked in disbelief. "Hey, Zane, it's for you."

Zane grabbed it possessively, and tore it open. Sensei silently beckoned the other two away from the teen, who was reading the letter so intently Jay thought his glare would burn a hole through it.

"There's another thing I neglected to tell you. Julien is Zane's father," Sensei grimaced, and the two could only gawk.

"That's Zane's dad?" Jay hissed, glancing back at Zane, who looked like he was struggling not to cry. Sensei could only nod.

"Julien is abusive? This... is definitely new information," Cole put a hand to his head, running it through his hair. That was one of his questions answered.

"What should we say?" Jay asked, looking back at Zane with a worried expression.

"No idea, but we should probably see what's going on," Cole gulped, and Jay approached Zane, who had tears gathering in his eyes.

"You ok?" Jay asked, and Zane shook his head furiously.

 _I can't stay. Father says I can't. I have to go. I never should have come here._ Zane had to stop signing, due to his hands shaking too much to form coherent words.

"Zane, you're not going anywhere, ok?" Jay asked, although it was more of a command. "You're staying right here. Your father doesn't control you anymore."

Zane looked up at the other three, and promptly started crying, burying his face in his hands. Soon, he was in a friend sandwich, the two other students hugging him on either side. They stayed like that until Zane's breathing leveled out, and his crying turned to the occasional sniffle. His eyes red, he wiped the excess moisture away and gave them a weak smile.

"Come on, let's get you a tissue," Cole pulled him into the Monastery, and Zane was finally starting to feel at home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! This chapter is tad bit shorter than the rest, sorry. Writer's block can be a real jerk. Enjoy!**

* * *

Later that night, Zane had gone to bed on the early side, leaving Cole and Jay alone in the game room, a fighting game lazily being played as the two zoned out, thinking in their own little worlds.

"Cole?" Jay asked as he tapped a few buttons, making his character launch at Cole's. "How long do you think it will be until Zane can train with us?"

"What do you mean?" Cole countered Jay's attack, his avatar ducking as Jay's flew over his head.

"Well, he still flinches when we go to touch him normally. I don't even want to try sparring."

Cole was silent for a moment, thinking. "I guess you're right."

"I.. I just want to help him, you know? Like, I know he doesn't fully trust us still and I _hate_ that, because I think we've been nothing but nice to him but everyone else _hasn't_ and-"

"Jay. Stop," Cole paused the game, fixing his gaze on the boy beside him. Wetness was gathering in Jay's eyes, but he quickly swiped them away, obviously embarrassed.

"Sorry," He mumbled, turning away. "I don't know what got into me."

"I know you're worried, but he'll come around. You'll see," Cole put an arm around Jay's shoulders, and he smiled a little.

"Yeah, thanks man."

"For now, the best we can do is be sensitive. Just keep an eye out for when he's uncomfortable, ok?"

"Right, ok, we can do that."

"Yeah," Cole nodded, and unpaused the game, the two now laughing and bantering as if nothing had ever happened.

* * *

The next day, Jay and Cole got into a fight over something stupid, which wasn't entirely surprising. Jay had accidently screwed with Cole's progress in a game, and the brunette refused to believe that it was his fault, so the two were acting like five year olds. Jay ate his sandwich with his gaze down at the table, occasionally flitting up to make sure Cole didn't have remorse in his eyes. Cole sat opposite Jay, munching on a granola bar with his head resting on his hand.

Zane sat in between them, not eating anything, but watching nervously as the two continued their silent game. He went to sign something to Jay, but was ignored as Jay refused to look anywhere but Cole and the floor. He looked at Cole, who was angrily staring at the table. The only sounds were the two boys' chewing and the clock on the wall faintly ticking away.

Eventually, Cole muttered something under his breath and went to stand up, but that obviously caught Jay's attention.

"What'd you say?" He asked almost angrily, standing up too.

"Not like you need to know," Cole huffed, and went to push past Jay to get to the game room, possibly going to restart his progress, but the brunette stood in his path. Time felt frozen as Zane saw Cole's hands reach up to push Jay out of the way, the frustration in his eyes clear and easy to read.

Zane darted forward, pushing Jay out of the way, and Cole ended up shoving Zane against the wall behind them. No one moved for a few seconds. Jay was shocked, Cole was horrified, and Zane was waiting for the next blow. Jay was the first to move, quickly followed by Cole, and they both stood in front of the teen, who was staring wide eyed at the two.

"Zane... why?" That's all Jay could muster as Zane sheepishly signed back.

 _I thought Cole was going to hurt you._

"Cole wasn't going to actually hurt me, dude. Maybe just make me more mad, yeah, but we would never _hurt_ each other like that," Jay explained, and Zane shifted uncomfortably as Cole put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

"Man, Zane, you just keep surprising me."

 _Sorry._ Zane wasn't sure if that was something you apologized for, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Jay just blinked, before reaching out and pulling Zane away from the wall, frowning as he realized Zane was trembling slightly from the impact.

"No, we're sorry. We're fighting over something dumb and we've obviously scared you. That was really crappy of us," Jay said, his voice filled with remorse and Cole nodded in agreement.

"How about we find a good movie to watch, hm?"

* * *

A half hour later and all three boys were on the gaming couch, a massive bowl of popcorn in between them and blankets smothering everyone. Zane was in the middle, the bowl in his hands. He watched Jay and Cole stuff their faces with the stuff, and although it just smelt like butter to him, he tried a kernel, and was pleasantly surprised at the taste. It was no iced coffee, but it would have to do. An hour in, and Zane felt his eyes drooping, his head leaning on Jay's shoulder as the brunette wrapped and arm around his own.

"Tired?" Cole smiled and leaned over so he was resting on Zane's side, glancing up at the teen for approval before settling in, letting out a content sigh.

A few minutes later, Zane went to move his arm, and found he couldn't since it was trapped between him and Jay. He gently nudged him, and Jay went to tell Cole to move so Zane could shift, but found that the man was asleep, resting against Zane's side. A bit of panic set in in Zane's mind once he realized he couldn't move without making Cole mad, which he didn't want and-

His thoughts were interrupted by Jay reaching over and shaking Cole awake, who grumbled at Jay but raised his head up anyway.

"Move, you big lump. Stop trapping Zane underneath your muscles."

Cole mumbled an apology and sat up, and Zane gladly did too, curling up with a blanket to replace the lost warmth.

"You ok?" Jay asked once Cole had drifted off again against the arm of the couch.

Zane nodded, but Jay studied him for another second before turning back to the movie, not quite believing the teen. Zane looked back at the movie, and once it was over, retired to his own bed, falling asleep almost instantly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey y'all! This is the chapter where you guys get to meet everyone's favorite Hot Head, which is of course the Ninja of Fire himself. Enjoy the chap!**

* * *

Sensei Wu had been kicking the three of them out of the Monastery a lot recently, for reasons unknown most of the time. This time, however, the excuse was "go buy groceries", so the three shrugged and complied, even though it was close to seven o' clock at night.

They were in a grocery store not far from Jamanikai Village, Jay pushing the cart while Cole read from the list.

"Alright, apparently we need more of the staple stuff, like eggs and flour. But there are a lot of weird things here too, like all these different spices. I don't even know what allspice even is. Is it just a ton of spices mixed together?" He turned to Zane, who shook his head, signing something to Jay.

"He says it's the dried fruit of a pepper tree, or something," The brunette shrugged, pulling the cart to a halt in front of the dairy section. Cole shivered, the chilly blast from the open aisles of milk, cheeses, and so much more making him wish he had brought a jacket or something. From one glance at Jay, he was freezing too. Zane, however, seemed perfectly fine, even fanning himself a bit from the warmth of the other sections.

Jay's curiosity seemed peaked by Zane's lack of shivering as well, but didn't say anything.

The rest of the shopping trip went pretty smooth, the three picking up the obscure ingredients and headed back to the Monastery. They walked in the doors, put away the groceries, and travelled outside to transition from the kitchen to their bathroom. To their surprise, the light was on, and someone was obviously moving inside.

"Guys... Sensei said he went to bed an hour ago. Why is there a figure in our bathroom window?" Cole hissed, and the two others froze. They quietly ran over to their training rack and grabbed their black gis, slipping them on over their clothes. Once even Zane's silvery hair was hidden by noir fabric, they crept over to the bathroom, and heard a figure mumbling to himself.

Cole silently unlocked the window from outside, while Jay and Zane slipped in through the door to the adjacent room and tiptoed through the hallway. At once they all attacked the figure, who was decked in red and looked to be holding a toothbrush. He yelped before he reflexively threw his toothbrush, it bonking Zane in the middle of the forehead. He shook it off and kept going.

The man threw a punch that hit Cole in the jaw as Jay swiped at his legs. He dodged, and ran down the hallway to the door leading outside, and Zane ran after him, his heart pounding with every step he took. He and the man faced off for a few seconds, with Zane landing a hit on his ribs before the man caught him in a choke hold, pressing him to the floor, fingers wrapped around his throat.

Jay and Cole ran out and were about to pull the man off of Zane when Sensei shouted from the door opposite them, the lights turning on.

"Enough!"

Both advancing students were caught off guard, halting with hands raised, heads snapped towards their mentor.

The man, although surprised, didn't let go of Zane, who clawed at his forearms until he came to his senses and released the boy, who gasped for air and scrambled away from him.

"Jeez, you okay?" Jay asked, kneeling next to Zane, who nodded, still coughing into his arm. The brunette helped him up, and he leaned on Jay's arm as he regained his breath.

"Sensei, what the heck is going on?" The man asked, looking at the three with their masks still on.

"Jay, Cole, Zane, you can relax," Sensei assured them, and the three removed their hoods, Zane's throat slightly purple from the fight.

"Wait, who is this guy?" Jay asked, glaring at the newcomer. "He just tried to kill Zane!"

"I wasn't going to kill him, you idiot. Just stun him," He grumbled, but Jay still glared all the same.

"This is Kai. He will train with you three."

"What?" Cole exclaimed, joining his two friends. "You're kidding, right?"

Sensei merely shook his head, and Kai sighed.

"Okay, which one of you is which?"

"I'm Jay, the tall one is Cole, and this is Zane," Jay pat the blonde on the shoulder, who had balanced his breathing and stopped leaning on Jay for support.

"The name's Kai. Now, I'm not here to be part of your little ninja club you have going on here, with the suits and everything. I'm just here for my sister," The "Spikey-Haired Jerk", as Jay had decided to nickname him, gestured at their outfits and Cole scoffed.

"Yeah, whatever, porcupine."

Zane suddenly felt very self-conscious of his own hair.

Kai looked at Zane with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Hey, did I mess up your throat so badly that you can't talk?"

Zane shook his head, and Jay sighed. This was going to be _so_ fun, since this guy seemed like the most _nice_ and _gentle_ person he had ever met in his life.

"He's mute."

"Oh," Kai said with a vague tinge of disappointment.

Zane, who normally would've apologized by now, just stood there with his arms crossed behind his back, almost reminding himself not to sign. _Oh._

Jay had forgotten that Zane had to get used to him and Cole. Now there was a guy with less of a filter and more of a temper to ruin the work that he and Cole had put in over the past few months. He was about to drag Zane away and let Cole deal with the man by himself, but Sensei interrupted with a cry of "Ninja-go!" and he twirled into Spinjitzu, spinning each ninja around in a tornado of gold and white.

Once the storm had died down, each boy looked down at their clothes. Kai was dressed in red, Cole in black, Jay in blue, and Zane in white. All ninja were very confused.

"Aw, man, I'm still in black!" Cole sighed, looking at the other three's costume changes.

"Each of your gis represent the element that you harbor inside of you," Sensei explained, but that didn't really clear much up.

"Um, what?" Jay scratched his head, but his teacher ignored him.

"Cole, strong, sturdy, and determined, with the power of Earth."

Cole just blinked in surprise, too shocked to say anything.

"Jay, quick, innovative, and energetic, with the power of Lightning," Sensei touched his staff to Jay's shoulder, and Jay shrugged.

"Well, I dabble in a bit of poetry too, you know? And oh, I do some inventing as well and-"

"More like Mouth of Lightning," Kai grumbled, and Jay shut up, shooting him a glare.

"Zane, calculating, empathetic, and serene, with the power of Ice."

Zane didn't react much to his words, looking down at the floor.

"Finally, Kai, temperamental, loyal, and impulsive, with the power of Fire."

"I mean, I don't really get what's going on here, but that's nice, I guess," Kai shrugged.

"Now, off to bed, all of you. Your team training exercises begin tomorrow."

Zane was quick to dart off, racing in the nearest door.

"What's his problem?" Kai grumbled, and Cole and Jay tensed.

"None of your business," Cole spat, and Kai looked surprised. He hadn't really been expecting an answer.

"Cole, Jay. Leave," Sensei ordered, and they sighed before bowing.

"Yes, Sensei," The two left through the same door as Zane, leaving just Kai and Sensei.

"Why do they all hate me so much already? I've barely even met them and they're acting like I'm the enemy!" Kai ranted, but Sensei hushed him with a light tap of his staff to his head.

"There are things you don't know, Kai. I am not one to reveal them to you if they do not wish, but be careful, my student. Try not to let your emotions get the better of you," Sensei told him, and the Fire Ninja yawned, drained.

"Is it over me choking the kid? They kind of attacked me first," He justified, and Sensei thought for a moment.

"They are frightened you'll hurt him more."

"Why would I hurt him? Apparently we're like, on the same team now, so that'd be kind of pointless."

"Like I said, Kai, there are things you don't know."

"Whatever," Kai sighed and stalked off, confused and slightly angry at these crazy people, but he couldn't stop thinking about Sensei's words and the strange protectiveness Jay and Cole had for Zane, who seemed on edge all the time. What did he not know about these three?


	6. Chapter 6

Zane was in his bunk, facing away from the center of the room by the time Cole and Jay got there, still in his white gi. He was on top of the sheets, curled up with his knees raised almost to his chest. The pillow crinkled underneath his head, his hair splayed out in back of him.

"Zane? You alright?" Jay tenderly placed a hand on the newly named Ice Ninja's shoulder, and he tensed under his touch.

"It's ok, it's just me and Jay. You're safe," Cole went to place a hand next to Jay's but the brunette pulled his away, brushing Cole's away too, shaking his head slightly in Cole's direction.

"We'll let you sleep, but just wake us up if you need anything, alright?" Jay said, and Zane gave a slight nod. The Lightning Ninja looked to Cole, and the two were about to climb into their own beds when Kai walked in, and Cole put a finger to his lips, pointing at Zane. Kai looked like he wanted to roll his eyes or flash Cole a rather rude gesture, but complied, heading back into the bathroom.

Of course, Zane knew he had entered, since there was only one other person who would come into the bedroom right now, but was grateful for the lack of noise as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The sound of the gong made all four ninja jump the following morning. Kai hit his head on the ceiling, Cole was startled from his sleep, Jay almost fell out of bed, and Zane woke up with his heart pounding, and it took him a second to calm himself.

"Breakfast starts in a half hour," Sensei declared, exiting the room.

"Alright, you being here throws a wrench in our bathroom order. How long do you take to get ready?" Cole asked the newcomer, who shrugged.

"I need to do my hair."

"Great," Cole grumbled, and heaved out of bed. "Zane, you're showering last. You prepare breakfast and you don't like hot water anyway."

Zane nodded, and left for the kitchen.

"Do you take hot showers?" Jay asked, already knowing the answer. Kai nodded.

"Alright, you're first then," Cole said. "I guess it's me, then Jay."

Kai was already gone, and Cole sighed. "I'll make the beds this morning. You should go probably make sure Zane's doing ok."

"Yeah," Jay nodded, and strolled to the kitchen, where Zane was making batter of some kind.

"Hey bud, how's it going?"

Zane paused in his whisking, handing it as well as his mixing bowl over to Jay while he signed.

 _Better than yesterday, I suppose._

"Are you going to tell Mr. Porcupine about..." Jay just waved his hands in the air, vaguely gesturing towards the Ice Ninja, and Zane thought for a moment.

 _Not now. I don't think he'd take it very well anyway._ Zane's bruise was still very visible, the purple looking strange and alien against his pale skin.

"We should probably put some medicine on your neck, you know, just in case," Jay suggested, and Zane shook his head.

 _Don't need it. I've had worse, and they healed just fine._

"Yeah, I know you've had worse, but I still don't like seeing it."

Zane didn't respond, taking the whisk and bowl back from Jay. Conversation over.

"Well, I guess I'll see you when breakfast is done," Jay said, and Zane nodded. The Lightning Ninja left, and waited to sigh until he got back to their room, where Cole had just finished making the last bed.

"I tried, I swear. He's just so closed off even without the added stimulus of Kai being... _Kai_ ," He sat down on Zane's bunk, and Cole climbed down from the ladder.

"Yeah, I get it. How's his neck doing? It slipped my mind to check this morning."

"Still bruised pretty bad. Wouldn't let me put any cream on it though," Jay frowned, clearly not approving of Zane's lack of self care.

"What else were you expecting? Zane's not going to accept any pity from us, Jay. I wish he would let us help him every once in a while, but the guy has pretty good reasons for not trusting us. It's going to take a long time," Cole rested his hands on Jay's shoulders, not squeezing hard but enough to make sure he was listening.

"He's already been here for a while. How much longer is it going to take?" Jay whispered, and Cole shook his head.

"I don't know," The Earth Ninja rested his forehead against the Lightning Ninja's, enjoying a few moments of quiet intimacy, both reassuring the other.

"Umm... Am I interrupting something here?" Kai asked, and the two jumped back, embarrassed.

"Sorry," Jay flushed, scratching the back of his neck as Kai grabbed his gi, supporting his towel under his arms.

Once he left, both remaining ninja didn't say another word, still thinking as Kai came back in to let them know that the shower was open. Cole nodded, and headed in.

Jay sat on Zane's bunk, the side of his head resting against a bed post, eyes unfocused with thought.

"It's Jay, right?" Kai asked, and the Lightning Ninja snapped out of whatever the he was in, nodding.

"Well, I don't know why you and the other guy hate me so much. I mean, I kind of get the kid, y'know, since I got him in a chokehold, but even then he just seems kinda nervous," Kai looked for any assistance from Jay, who nodded.

"We don't hate you, Kai. It's just... You'll find out eventually, ok?" Jay asked, and Kai sighed.

"That's what Sensei told me last night," He grumbled as he walked into the kitchen, where Zane had finished the batter, and was about to start forming pancakes.

"Hey, kid," Kai said, and Zane jumped, almost dropping the bowl. He looked back, and Kai suddenly remember his lack of voice, mentally facepalming. "Is there any pencil and paper around here?"

Zane pointed to the far side of the room, where grocery lists were scribbled out on a pad, a mix between messy chicken scratch and blocky letters that looked like they could've been a font on a computer.

"Here," Kai said, plopping the pad of paper down in front of the Ice Ninja. "I can talk, and you can write."

Zane nodded, albeit a little hesitantly, and picked up the pen and paper, and looked at Kai for a question.

"I'm bad with names, sorry. What's yours?"

 _Zane._

"Right. Well, um, sorry about yesterday, I guess."

 _It's fine. I've had worse injuries._

Zane set the pen down, and pointed to the batter, and Kai understood.

"Yeah, you do that, I guess," Kai walked out, mentally cursing himself for the awkwardness. The water shut off, and he went back into their bedroom as Cole returned from the bathroom with wet hair matted to his head. He grabbed his gi and changed as well, Jay hopping into the shower.

Zane went after, and while the Ice Ninja was in the shower, the others ate, knowing that Zane didn't eat breakfast anyway. Kai just didn't question it.

Zane rejoined them on the training grounds, quickly signing something to Jay, who nodded but didn't translate. Cole picked up on a few words, having spent some of his free time learning sign language from Jay and Zane, but some of the more obscure ones were still unknown.

"Today, our first exercise is meditation," Sensei began, and Zane nodded happily. "Zane, you will assist Kai, since clearing his mind seems to be a trouble for him."

Kai huffed, but Zane beckoned him over to a corner, sitting him down and guiding the Fire Ninja's hands to his knees, mirroring him afterwards.

"What, is there a position for this or something?" Kai complained, but Zane put a finger to his lips, which made Kai roll this eyes, but he shut up and closed his eyes anyway.

Zane settled, losing himself to the calming images he created in his mind of snow dusted plains and cold, crisp wind. Kai cracked his eyes open to see Zane calm, chest barely rising and falling as his breaths became more and more shallow. Kai wasn't even sure if he was alive after few minutes.

As much as he tried, images of his sister kept popping up, and he became more and more angry until he snapped, slamming his hands into the ground, which startled Zane, who jumped back a bit, disoriented by the change in scenery from the winter scape in his head.

"Sorry," Kai sighed, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "I just can't do it."

Zane, who was trying to hide the fact that he was shaking a little and that his heart was beating a million miles an hour, nodded in understanding, letting Kai do what he wanted.

Kai tried for the next hour to meditate, but eventually gave up, storming inside, but Zane made it his mission to get Kai to relax at least once, and he was determined to accomplish that goal.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey y'all! This is the one where Jay learns what really happened to Zane's mom. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Turns out, being neglected for the first fifteen years of your life can make you pretty starved for positive human touch. Zane wasn't a huge hugger, but he would gently rest a hand on Jay's arm if he was feeling a bit uneasy, or maybe he would let Cole stroke his fingers through his hair when they were watching a movie.

But now, with Kai around, Zane seemed to be avoiding it altogether. Jay went to rest a hand on his shoulder during lunch to get his attention, and he flinched away, not moving back afterwards like usual. Jay frowned, but didn't say anything, withdrawing his hand. Cole went to brush away a bit of dirt on Zane's face after some training outside a few hours later, and the Ice Ninja tensed, shying away from Cole and wiping it off himself.

It wasn't enough to really make them worried, but the other two were definitely seeing the effects of Kai's presence. One morning in particular, Zane was already out of bed when Sensei went to wake them up, and he found the teen sitting outside the gates, back against the wall, watching the sunrise. He let the others sleep in a bit as he sat down next to him, but Zane barely acknowledged his teacher's arrival.

"Good morning, Zane," Sensei tried, and he nodded, glancing over. "How long have you been up for?"

 _Since 2._

"You went to bed at 11," Sensei looked over, disapproval lacing his voice, and Zane bit the inside of his cheek.

 _Yes._ The Ice Ninja leaned his head back against the wall, a sigh turning into a yawn as the sun burned his eyes.

"You should really go back to bed, Zane," Wu stood, beckoning his student to follow him, but he shook his head.

 _Be fine._

"Zane." Sensei said harshly, and Zane jumped a little bit before scrambling to his feet.

 _Sorry._

"Nothing to apologize for, Zane," Sensei shook his head, leading Zane into the Monastery, waking the others up before ordering Zane to go to bed.

"Wait, how come he gets to sleep?" Kai grumbled angrily, and Cole shook his head.

"Later, Kai. Jay, can you go start breakfast? I'll finish it while you're in the shower."

"Great, we might as well just get out the cereal boxes now," Jay rolled his eyes, and Cole threw a pillow at him, making him fall back onto his bunk.

"Hey!" Jay laughed, and Cole couldn't help but laugh too. Kai had already left the room. Zane sat down on his bunk, and Cole looked at him sympathetically.

"Hey, you ok?" The Earth Ninja asked, and Zane gave a weak nod. Jay climbed down, going to go make breakfast, but Sensei stopped him.

"I will make breakfast. Jay, you talk to Zane," Wu pointed his staff at the Lightning Ninja, who blinked in surprise for a few moments.

"Um, alright," He sat down next to Zane, who didn't respond.

Cole and Sensei left, leaving Jay alone with Zane.

"So, uh, I guess I don't know what's going on. Why're you going back to bed?"

 _Woke up at 2, didn't go back to bed._

 _You only got 3 hours of sleep? Yeah, you must be exhausted._

Zane shrugged. _I can live on less. Sometimes I just can't sleep. Hasn't really happened yet though. I think it is mostly warmth that keeps me up. Luckily, the Monastery is cool at night._

"Luckily, it's not summer yet. I don't know how hot it gets here. Cole probably knows though. But back to the matter at hand. Why were you up?"

 _Nightmare. Couldn't sleep. No big deal._

"Well, if you couldn't fall back asleep afterwards, it's not nothing," Jay waited for Zane to elaborate on his own, but the Ice Ninja just stared at the bed. "What was it about?"

Zane looked surprised for a moment before he answered. Nobody had really asked him that before. Usually he was just rebuked for being tired the next day.

 _My mother, mostly. They usually are._ Zane shifted, tucking his legs up, sitting cross-legged.

 _I thought your mom was dead._ Jay's curiosity was peaked, but he tried not to pry and close the Ice Ninja off even more.

 _She is. She died when I was six. My fault._ Zane faltered on the last sign, shutting his eyes to compose himself.

 _You didn't kill her though. You would never._ Jay signed once Zane opened his eyes again, partially to reassure himself too.

 _We were outside. Father was in the house, working with friends. Mother was sitting in the grass while I picked flowers. My back was turned. I heard a rustling and I heard her scream, and there were men with swords, and they almost got me too, but I-"_

Zane's signing stopped with I, his hands instead going up to cup his face, shoulders shaking. Jay was stunned into silence, for once in his life. Zane's mother, the previous Master of Ice as they had been told, was murdered in her own backyard with her child as a witness. He let Zane regain his composure, giving him space to breathe.

 _I ran to the house while they fled, to try and get my father. My mother was still alive when I left for help, but when we came back, she was dead. If I was faster, or heard sooner, I could have-"_

Jay grabbed Zane's hands, which was a huge no-no normally, but Jay saw where this was going and didn't need to hear the end of it.

"It wasn't your fault," Jay said, hands still holding Zane's. "You couldn't have done anything else."

He released Zane's hands from his hold, and the Ice Ninja rested them in his lap.

"We can talk more once you wake up, but for now, you need to sleep," Jay stood, and the teen nodded. "Sleep well, Zane."

With that, Jay left the room, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He walked towards the kitchen, where he met his mentor.

"Sensei, we need to talk."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey y'all! Glad to see you guys are enjoying the story so far! As a side note, to A Huge Fangirl, I try and update whenever I can. Writing is very time consuming. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Jay told Sensei everything. From the way Zane thought he was responsible for his mom's death to the mysterious figures that caused the murder. After Jay had finished retelling the events in a hushed tone as to not alert Zane or any of the others, Sensei thought for a moment, collecting his thoughts.

"Did he give any description of the men?" Wu asked, and Jay shook his head.

"I didn't ask. Poor guy's been through enough emotional trauma for one day."

"I understand. Does he know that you're telling me all of this?"

"No, that's why I'm whispering," Jay's voice went incredibly soft for him, although to other people it might have been normal whispering volume. "I kinda figured you deserved to know."

"I see. Thank you for telling me, Jay. I will see you later for training."

* * *

It was about eleven when they finished their first exercise, and Zane was still asleep, surprisingly.

"I'm gonna go check on him," Cole nodded his head in the general direction of the bedroom, and the others went back to drinking their water.

Cole crept in, careful not to awaken the sleeping Ice Ninja as he slept. Sensei had called Zane "serene" when presenting him with his element, but Cole wondered if that truly was an accurate description of the teen. Zane flickered between the most relaxed person you would ever meet to high strung and on alert on a daily basis, so often so that Cole had to be on the look out constantly for his sudden mood changes.

Not that he held it against the teen, but it was sometimes a bit... _overwhelming_. One minute you were laughing and beating him up in a video game, and the next, he was shaking and crying from a panic attack. Cole had learned how to ease Zane through them, but Jay was better at the whole emotions thing than he was, as shown by Zane's tendency to gravitate towards Jay for emotional support. Cole couldn't lie to himself, he was a bit jealous that the Ice Ninja was enamored with Jay, as he considered himself the leader of the trio (now quartet) of ninja. But as he looked at Zane sleeping with his body curled up under the covers, he couldn't bring himself to be mad in the slightest.

"Hey, Frosty," Cole ran his hand through Zane's hair gently, and the teen's eyes fluttered open. He exhaled deeply, and looked up at Cole with an unspoken question. _Can I go back to bed?_

"Don't want to get up?" Cole chuckled, and Zane shook his head. "It's eleven, Zane."

Zane shrugged, and reached up to tug on Cole's hand, which had kind of just rested on his head.

"Ugh, alright, fine, go back to bed," Cole groaned, but grinned anyway as Zane cracked a rare smile, snuggling back under the covers. Cole walked back outside, and the others looked at him expectantly.

"So, where's Zane?" Kai leaned on his wooden staff, and Cole shrugged.

"He wanted to sleep more. It's pretty unlike him, so I let him rest."

"Yeah, that is weird. You sure he's not sick or something?" Jay cocked his head, thinking.

"Don't think so," Cole picked up his staff again. "But for now, we can just get back to-"

"Training? As you should be doing, yes," Sensei stepped out, and the three turned around to face him.

"Heya, Sensei," Jay bowed his head a little to make up for the informal greeting. "Yeah, we were, why?"

"As soon as all of you are ready, we will head out in search of the first Golden Weapon. The Scythe of Quakes."

"Wow, is that mine?" Kai asked sarcastically, and Cole elbowed him.

"Sorry, Sensei, Kai's a bit snarky because all he wants to do is run off and rescue his sis," The Earth Ninja cast a glare at Kai, who rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, sorry for being worried. All of you are only children, you wouldn't get it."

"Yeah, that's true," Jay shrugged. "But we're still all in this together, like that one song from that movie said-"

"Can it, Motor-mouth," Kai hissed, and Cole narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, only I can call him that!" He growled, and went to retort with some other awful nickname before Sensei shouted.

"Enough! All of you, if you're going to be a team, you need to start acting like one!"

The three fell silent quickly.

"Sorry, Sensei," Jay grumbled, staring at the ground.

"Yeah, me too," Kai sighed.

"Ditto," Cole ran a hand through his hair.

Jay felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked over, saw an unexpected person standing to his side, and screamed like a five year old girl.

Zane jumped, scrambling back a few steps, a flurry of apologies rushing from him.

"Zane... jeez, you can't just do that to someone," Jay put a hand over his heart, and Cole pushed Jay to the side.

"It's alright, c'mon, we were just talking about our first mission as a team."

 _Talking?_ Zane signed, a knowing look in his eyes.

"Alright, fine, we weren't just talking," Jay grumbled, still embarrassed.

Kai was about to make another smart remark, and he would have, but no one would tell him what was up with this kid, and he was so sick of it that he had to find out right now or he would just-

"Kai! You alright?" Cole shook him out of whatever little trance he was just in, and Kai blinked rapidly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Mostly. Just, here's the thing. I've been here for a few weeks now, and I still don't know why you all act like this kid's made of glass."

Zane was about to sign that he was only a few years off from Kai when Jay swatted his hands down to let Kai continue.

"So, will someone _kindly_ tell me what's going on here? I mean, I say something maybe the appropriate amount of crude for a normal nineteen year old guy, and you all cover his ears like he's six. Or maybe I get mad and go to chuck a pillow or something, and you all yell at me like I'm going to throw a sword into your eye!"

"Kai, we-"

"No, let me finish," He glared at Cole, who glared right back. He glanced around the ninja team with a newfound fervor. "I just want to make it clear that I..."

He trailed off after settling on Zane. He wasn't scared, he wasn't shaking or crying or anything he'd seen this guy do over the past few weeks. He looked Kai straight in the eyes and nodded, walking back inside the house for a few moments. He returned holding a pad of paper and a pen.

"Zane, you don't have to if you don't want to," Jay reassured, but Zane shook his head, tucking his utensils under his arm.

 _No. He deserves to know just as you all did. As you do._

Zane beckoned to Kai with one hand, leading him outside the Monastery. They sat down on the rocks outside, Kai shutting the doors behind them.

"Look, I'm sorry for lashing out at you. You don't deserve that," Kai scratched the back of his neck, and Zane shrugged. The Ice Ninja wrote for a few minutes, and Kai awkwardly shifted in his seat, tempted to peek over his shoulder. Zane finally handed the paper over, and Kai read it over silently.

 _I'm fifteen for starters. I don't know if anyone has told you that yet. My full name is Zane Nicholas Julien, the Nicholas part is after my grandfather on my mom's side. If you ever noticed the white hair, you can thank my father, Victor Julien. If you don't know who that is, he's the founder and CEO of Julien Inc. You've probably heard of it. Anyway, I've been mute since I was born, it was a birth defect. My father didn't take the news well, but my mom tried to give me a good life. It didn't quite work out, she died when I was young. My father kept me inside, made me do all of the housework and things like that. You could also say he was quite physical, in a way. He didn't hear me, and he barely even noticed me most of the time. So yeah, that's the story of my life so far. There's not really much to tell._

"Zane... I..." Kai set the paper down next to him, not quite knowing what to say. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know... I thought..."

Zane shook his head, sending a clear message to Kai. _Not your fault._

"Can we... can we start over? I'll be nicer, I won't throw things, I'll try and be more empathetic..." Kai was not an emotional person when it came to grief and sadness, but he wrapped Zane in a hug, the Ice Ninja reciprocating quickly, nodding into Kai's chest, and the Fire Ninja sighed.

"Ok, ok... Now, you ready to help me find my sister?"

Zane pulled away, and gave Kai a look that said it all.

 _Let's do this._


	9. Chapter 9

Retrieving the Scythe of Quakes went fairly smoothly, thanks to a certain Fire Ninja, but Cole was happy with his new weapon so the others were in a fairly good mood as well. Next, were Zane's Shurikens of Ice, which were hidden so far north that by the time they were close, everyone except Zane was freezing their butt off.

"Oh, look at me, I'm the Ice Ninja, I don't get cold!" Jay mocked as Zane stood in a tee shirt and sweatpants near the front of the deck. Zane cocked his head in confusion, and Cole just rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Zane. Jay's just being stupid," The Earth Ninja sighed, joining Zane, although he was dressed much heavier in a winter jacket and snow pants. "He's just jealous that you're getting a cool weapon before he is."

"Am not!" Jay exclaimed, trying to rub his hands together through his gloves. "I'm just freezing!"

"Yes, as you've said," Cole grumbled, and Jay shot him a dirty look.

 _Although I am not cold myself, I do realize how low the temperature is. I apologize if I make you feel worse about the situation._ Zane signed, and Jay shook his head.

"No, Cole's right, I'm just being a jerk."

"Speaking of jerks..." Cole muttered under his breath as Kai approached on the other side of Jay.

"I still don't know how you're in a tee shirt right now. It's literally below freezing," Kai huffed. If Zane was practically immune to the cold, then Kai was especially prone to it, as he had demonstrated by stealing most of the team's extra blankets in the past few weeks.

Zane just shrugged, not really wanting to translate through Jay right now, and continued leaning over the railing, enjoying watching the ice drift by. Soon, they arrived at the holding place for the shurikens, where they were suspended in midair by some ice. Zane looked around, unsure of what to do, before reaching up (with Cole's assistance) and grabbing them. Instantly, cold shot up his arms like he'd never experienced it before, and he only had time to panic for a split second before he was encased in solid ice, his wide eyes frozen in place.

"Ah!" Cole yelped, surprised by the sudden block of ice on his back where Zane had been standing. A roar bounced off the walls, and the team grimaced, knowing exactly what that meant, before Jay made a spilt second decision.

"Cole, this is going to sound crazy, but we need to use Zane as a sled!" He shouted to be heard over the rumbling, and Cole hesitated, but agreed. The three squished onto the short ice sculpture, and raced down the slope, the dragon abandoning ship after they left the temple.

Back at the ship, they could finally breathe, but now they had another problem to deal with.

"So... any suggestions on how to thaw him?" Cole hoisted Zane up and onto the deck, and Jay shrugged.

"Um, we could put him in the shower and turn the water on hot."

"Unconventional, but I'm not seeing any immediate issues, so I guess that's ok," Kai shrugged, and the team set off back towards the Monastery.

* * *

The shower wasn't too big, and since Kai seemed to withstand heat the best, he was standing in his gi next to the frozen Zane under the water, his hair flopping down into his eyes.

Luckily, Zane was the least likely person to make fun of him for his wet-dog look, so he presumed he was in the clear. He almost wished he just stayed outside with a book or something while Zane was in here, because it was taking _forever_ for him to thaw. Kai tried to angle it so his head was the first thing to be freed, and it sort of worked, since part of his back unthawed first.

Zane looked mighty confused when he first woke up, his hair becoming heavy with water, turning from a brilliant white to a dull silver.

"Before you go crazy, it's ok. The Shurikens froze you, but I'm thawing you out in the shower," Kai explained, and Zane relaxed a little as the ice gradually became thin enough for him to break. Holding the golden throwing stars, he inspected for a moment before reaching behind him and turning off the shower. He and Kai dried off, Zane watching with curiosity as Kai gelled his hair. They left to go join the others, who were currently gaming on the couch, their yells being heard from all over the Monastery.

* * *

Turns out, an ice elemental can catch a cold, and a pretty bad one at that. The first day, he had just grabbed a cup of tea in the morning to clear his sinuses and continued the training as normal. The second day was a bit worse, riddled with sneezes and coughs. He even had trouble waking up that morning, which was enough to alert the others to the face that the Ice Ninja wasn't doing so hot.

The third day was when things got bad. Zane was constantly cycling between fanning himself, even though it was mildly chilly fall weather, to freezing, huddling into his gi to try and obtain any last little bit of warmth that it offered. The coughing and sneezing had stayed consistent, but the shakiness was new. At lunch, instead of eating anything, he just told Jay to come tell him when they were going to start training again, and left for their bedroom.

Jay went in about a half hour later to find Zane curled up on his bunk, head propped up by some pillows. Jay's gut told him something wasn't right, so he ducked into the bathroom for a few seconds and came out with a thermometer. He gently stuck it in Zane's mouth, and when he pulled it out, it read that Zane had a fever of 101°F, which made Jay purse his lips, exiting the room without a word.

"Yeah, I'm letting him sleep. He's got a high fever. Not dangerously high, but high enough where he shouldn't be training," Jay explained, and Cole nodded.

"I kinda figured. 'M glad he's sleeping though." Cole glanced back towards the bedroom.

"Yeah. Shall we continue?" Kai asked, and the two nodded.

"Hey, when do we head out for my nunchucks?" Jay asked Sensei, who was drinking tea on the other end of the table.

"As soon as Zane is well, I suppose," Their teacher set his empty glass down, and they smiled.

"Well, Zane better get well soon!" Jay grinned, excited to have his own weapon. Hopefully it wouldn't shock him though. Having a repeat of the Shurikens of Ice would not be desirable.

For now, however, the three sparred and smacked around punching bags while Zane slept, unaware of the commotion happening only a few doors away.


	10. Chapter 10

**A massive thank you to StoriesAreMagic for their continued support! Your reviews are hilarious, by the way. :) Note, I didn't write most of the pilots' plot because they're mostly Kai-centric, and it'd be pretty boring to just see a rewrite of the episode. Enjoy!**

* * *

A few days later, Jay's nunchucks had been retrieved, and they were camping out in front of where they believed Kai's Sword of Fire was hidden. Cole was tapping a beat on a set of bongos, and Jay was trying to convince Kai to dance, but it wasn't quite working.

"C'mon, man! Just a few minutes?" Jay winked, extending his hand, and Kai resisted the urge to slap him across the face.

"For the last time, I don't dance, Jay. Maybe Zane will indulge you or something," Kai grumbled, closing his eyes, and leaning his head back against a tree. Zane, sitting against a tree a few feet away, shrugged. Jay grinned, and pulled him to his feet, and he stumbled as he stood, his feet asleep from him sitting on them for too long.

 _I do not dance either._ Zane warned Jay as the Lightning Ninja went to grab his hands to show him.

 _Trust me, you will be fine._ Jay reassured him, and Zane cautiously relinquished control of his hands to Jay, who set them in a very informal waltz position. The Lightning Ninja took the lead, but sure Zane was okay with the positioning before resting his hand on the Ice Ninja's hip. Jay turned and nodded to Cole, who gave them a tempo in 3/4, a decent beat to attempt to waltz to.

For a ninja, Zane wasn't very coordinated as Jay showed him the basics, trying to avoid the Ice Ninja stepping on his toes. Cole laughed along with Kai whenever they flubbed, Zane once missing Jay in a dip, sending him crashing to the floor, and Jay once spinning Zane so much he got dizzy and almost toppled over. Even Zane was laughing by the end of the lesson, although by most people's standards it would hardly be a giggle.

They collapsed next to the fire after they finished, happily munching on some food they had brought along with them on the adventure. They rolled out their sleeping bags, and drifted off one by one, anticipating the adventure the next morning.

They didn't quite get the wake up call they were hoping for, however. Cole woke up first, blinking his eyes open to find himself hanging upside down, his face feeling awfully flushed.

"What the..." He mumbled, and tried to move, but found his whole body was tightly bound with rope, and Jay and Zane were sandwiched in with him, still asleep.

"Guys!" He hissed, trying to kick both of them awake, but he found he could only reach Jay, who startled awake and made an almost squawk-like noise out of surprise, which woke Zane up. Together, all three of them were a bumbling mess of panic wrapped up like a rope present.

"Wait, shh," Jay warned, tilting his head in the direction of their captor, who had fallen asleep.

"Okay, okay," Cole whispered, trying to piece his thoughts together. "Um, Zane, can you see the knot from where you are?"

Cole felt him nod. "Alright, can you reach it?"

No response. A few seconds passed of both ninja holding their breaths, waiting for Zane to give an answer, but then the ropes suddenly unwound, causing them all to fall flat on their backs. At the loud thump, the Skeleton woke up, and faced a few very angry ninja. Within a few moments, the enemy was dispersed among the campsite, and the ninja went to grab their golden weapons, but they were nowhere to be found.

"Just. Great," Jay sighed, and picked up a regular broadsword, much to his disappointment.

"Typical," Cole echoed, and Zane shrugged. They started to head to the temple, the sun just beginning to creep over the horizon, lighting the way.

* * *

A long, _long_ time later, they had travelled to the Underworld using a rather surprising mode of transportation, retrieved the Golden Weapons, learned Spinjitzu, and were back at the Monastery. However, Zane believed that the weirdest addition was Kai's sister. As someone who grew up in a male dominated household with no siblings and no mom, females were rare. He didn't quite understand Jay's infatuation with her, but didn't really read much into it.

"Nya!" Kai called, and a few moments later, she poked her head in, clearly annoyed.

"What do you want?" She grumbled, and Kai glanced up from his position in front of the TV.

"Do you know who's on dinner duty tonight?"

"Uh, I think it's... drat, what's the pale one's name?" She sighed, and Kai smirked.

"You mean Zane?"

"Yeah yeah, him. Could be Jay though. I don't know the schedule yet," She sat down next to her brother, and he scooted over to give her more room. "What are you playing?"

"This weird game Jay picked up from like, twenty years ago. The graphics aren't too great, but it's fun anyway," Kai lazily moved the joysticks around, his pixelated character walking in a circle.

"Mind if I join?"

"Go right ahead."

A few rooms over, Zane was fixing Jay some tea to help with his voice, which was getting better, but still wasn't good enough to talk. Cole was sitting next to the Lightning Ninja, who was very annoyed at his lack of voice. He snapped for Zane's attention, and the Ice Ninja turned.

"Rude," Cole grumbled, playfully smacking Jay on the shoulder, which he ignored.

 _Yes, Jay?_

 _Could you put in honey instead of sugar?_

 _Of course._

Zane turned back to his tea, grabbing the honey, and Jay smiled. A frustrated groan sounded from a few rooms down as Nya died for the tenth time. She stormed into the kitchen a few seconds later, presumably to get a snack, and Zane nervously edged away from her as she rummaged through the cabinets. Jay frowned, and tugged on Cole's sleeve, who got the message.

"Hey Nya, could you maybe-"

"Not now, Cole," She huffed, grabbed the box of crackers they kept in the back of the shelf, and stormed out again.

"Zane?" Cole asked, but the Ice Ninja shook his head, and turned around to hand Jay his tea before walking out, his footsteps light as a feather in comparison. Jay took a sip, found it an acceptable drinking temperature, and gulped most of it down before beckoning Cole to come with him. The two walked into the game room, where the siblings were still playing, Nya with a look of determination on her face, and Cole was about to say something to Nya when Sensei interrupted, stepping through the doorway.

"There has been an attack by Lord Garmadon on Jamanikai Village. Gather your weapons, and go."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! Here's where we get to meet Lloyd, everyone's favorite sassy child. Please R &R, since reviews give me life and sometimes inspire new chapters. Enjoy! **

* * *

"Zaaaaane!" Jay called as he ran down the hall, the startled Ice Ninja popping out of their room, going to scold Jay for using his already crippled voice to yell.

 _What?_

"Garmadon, attack, weapons!" Jay summed up, not really able to form a coherent sentence in his form of panic and lack of decent vocal chords. Zane processed for a second before grabbing his shurikens as Jay gathered up the other Golden Weapons.

They ran back to rejoin the others, and they raced pretty fast to Jamanikai Village, weapons gripped tightly out of fear. They arrived, everyone quiet as a mouse, hearts racing in anticipation. They gulped as a shadowy figure made its way out from behind a building, only to reveal itself as-

A kid with a wheelbarrow of stolen candy.

"This isn't Lord Garmadon," Cole observed, and Kai grumbled.

"Really? I thought he had just shrunk," The Fire Ninja scoffed, and Cole glared.

"Mwuahahahaha!" The kid laughed, blonde hair bouncing as he threw his head back for dramatic flair. "My name is Lloyd Garmadon, and you will surrender your candy, or suffer the consequences."

Jay blinked, before laughing out of relief, albeit slightly hysterical.

" _This_ is the scary Lord Garmadon? Pfft, I'll take this pipsqueak over the real thing any day," Kai snickered.

"Hey, who are you calling pipsqueak!" The kid exclaimed, waving a slingshot at the Fire Ninja. Kai took off his mask, raising an eyebrow.

"Really, kid? Alright, c'mon guys. Let's teach the little punk a lesson."

Soon enough, the kid was hanging by his hoodie from a flagpole, the four ninja laughing below. Jay had given the shopkeeper a few coins, and the ninja were munching on some of the stolen goods. Jay was stuffing his face with cotton candy, Kai had taken some cinnamon gummy bears, Cole was snacking on chocolate bars, and even Zane was enjoying some cherry hard candy, his tongue dyed red from the food coloring.

"Nice try, muchacho, but crime doesn't pay," Kai teased, popping a few sweets into his mouth. "But eating candy after a false call totally does."

Cole high fived him, and the four went off to find their dragons, who were good naturedly smacking each other with their wings as the four approached.

Zane climbed on his dragon, rubbing his neck in thanks for the ride. He couldn't talk to his companion like the others could, but showed his appreciation through extra snacks and scale massages. The dragon, which Zane had named Shard after careful consideration, grumbled in thanks and took off with the Ice Ninja on his back. As Zane approached the Monastery, he had a sudden change of heart, and tugged on the reigns, Shard turning and making a sharp left. The others stared in surprise for a moment, before shrugging and continuing back.

Once they landed, they pet their dragons one more time before reuniting at the gates.

"Anyone know where Zane went?" Cole asked, and the two shook their heads. "Weird. He better be back soon though, it's his night to cook."

"Cole," Jay rasped, "Talk to Nya. Zane's gone."

"Wait, why are you two conspiring to talk to my sister?" Kai narrowed his eyes defensively, and Cole sighed.

"She's not quite aware of the mostly unspoken rules yet."

Kai scoffed. "Oh yeah? What would those be?"

"Y'know, don't make sudden loud noises, try not to yell or slam things when you're angry, be sort of sensitive to Zane's state of mind, those kind of things," Cole explained, keeping his cool.

"Oh," Kai lost his snark, turning his gaze downward. "I probably should've told her earlier."

"No, it's fine. Jay was too love-stricken and I was too in shock to think of it either. Let's just head inside."

They walked in to find Sensei talking to Nya, both sitting in the dining area.

"Sis, we need to talk to you about something," Kai gulped, and Nya's eyes scanned the group.

"If it's about Zane, Sensei and I are talking about that right now," She pat the seat beside her as an invitation to her brother. "Come and join."

"Well, what's been said?" Cole and Jay sat across from them, Jay grabbing a cup of tea from the center.

"Mostly just stuff about how I'm apparently a loud and insensitive person sometimes," She shrugged, seemingly not taking offense to it. "I just need to dial it down a little. Haven't really been told why, though."

"I was getting to that," Sensei explained. "Like I was saying, Zane startles easily, and it can be hard to calm him down occasionally afterwards. Jay is the person who usually helps him through it, as our translator."

Jay blushed, obviously embarrassed in front of the girl sitting across the way. He shrugged sheepishly, resting his head on his hands.

"Am I expected to learn?" She asked, although she already pretty much knew the answer.

"Zane would say no, but the rest of us say yes. Jay can teach you some of the basics, once his voice recovers," Cole nudged the Lightning Ninja, who nodded enthusiastically.

"So, let me get this straight, he freaks out around loud noises, gets nervous around people when they get mad, normally shies away from physical contact, and puts the wants of others over his own needs," She listed, and Kai sighed.

"Very blunt, but yeah."

"I'm guessing he was abused? And maybe from a low income household too, because he still looks malnourished, even after spending a while here."

"Actually," Cole winced. "His family's stupid rich. Like, could-buy-all-of-Ninjago-City rich. He just had a really crappy dad,"

"Who?" She asked out of curiosity, and Jay sighed.

"Julien," He croaked, and she paled.

"The tech guru?" She asked, and the team nodded.

"Oh man, half the stuff I own is made by that company," She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Guess I need to do some shopping."

Cole nodded. "Just try not to bring it up. It's a pretty sensitive topic around here."

"Got it. By the way, where is he?"

* * *

Zane waded up to his ankles in the water, gazing up at the sky. Grey clouds swirled overhead, but the sun was still poking through a little, so the pond was alight with a yellow glow. The water was chilly, he could feel his toes numbing, but he felt no discomfort as the wind caused ripples on the surface of the water, which was so clear he could see the stones lining the bottom, different hues of brown, grey, and even the occasional red.

He took a deep breath, and ran into the pond until it reached chest height, his wet gi clinging to him, his shurikens forming small ice crystals where they touched the water.

 _Relax._ He thought to himself, his breaths uneven. _You'll need to learn eventually._

He stepped farther in, forcing himself to kick his feet up and paddle. He felt like an uncoordinated dog, but clumsily tread the water until his legs ached, arms helping to keep him afloat. Shard stood watch nearby, making sure his rider didn't drown himself. When Zane finally left the water, Shard growled in protest at Zane's persistence, since a nice nap and snack sounded great to a hungry and tired dragon.

The Ice Ninja rubbed his nose apologetically, and climbed on, knowing he was dripping cold water down Shard's scales. The dragon took off, not needing to be told twice that it was time to go home, and the wind as they flew dried the teen off until only a few stray droplets clung to his uniform.

Later that night, Zane stood in front of the hot stove, basting steak strips with a marinade and filling in the gaps with sliced potatoes. He sprinkled some spice on top, and slipped it in the oven. He grabbed a kitchen knife, and was about to start preparing the salads when someone joined him at the counter.

"Hey, Zane," Jay said, his voice having healed a lot over the past few hours. "How's it going?"

Zane set his knife down, placing it on the cutting board.

 _Alright, I suppose. Dinner will be ready in about a half hour._

 _Nice. You know how much we love your cooking._ Jay gave Zane a soft side hug, which the Ice Ninja reciprocated. Jay smiled and ruffled Zane's hair as he pulled away.

"See you later, bud," Jay waved, and exited the room. Zane turned back to his vegetables with a little more bounce in his step than he did before.

When he served the meal, he couldn't help but notice Nya eyeing him throughout dinner, an almost guilty look in her eyes as Zane took a small portion of steak, following along as the others talked. He shifted uneasily in his seat, choosing to focus on pushing his food around his plate. A few minutes later, the table suddenly went quiet, and Zane looked up from his plate to find everyone staring at him questioningly. He shrunk in on himself more, and Jay frowned.

"Zane, Kai just wants to know what kind of marinade you used on the steak," He explained, and Zane sat back up, a tad embarrassed.

 _Spicy mustard._ Zane responded curtly, folding his hands in his lap immediately after, and Jay translated to the group.

"Hey," Cole mumbled to his left as the others began talking again. "You ok?"

Zane nodded, and Cole glanced down at the Ice Ninja's plate.

"You didn't eat."

Zane shrugged, pushing it over to Cole as an offering, which the Earth Ninja refused.

"C'mon Zane, just a few bites at least," Cole pleaded, and Zane silently sighed before eating a small bite of the meat. Cole nodded happily, and pat Zane on the back before returning to the others' conversations. Zane didn't eat anything more, instead sneaking his steak onto Cole's plate instead, hoping he wouldn't notice. The Earth Ninja never did, praising Zane for his almost healthy appetite, oblivious to the fact that he had eaten Zane's dinner for him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey y'all! This chapter is slightly shorter than the rest, but writer's block can be a real jerk. This was all my brain would give me, so I'm going to run with it. Also, fun fact, Zane never actually talks in this chapter, he just nods and shakes his head. Enjoy this fluffy filler chapter!**

* * *

"Drat," Jay frowned after he had hung up the phone. "There's a robbery in a town not too far from here. Alright, who's coming with? We only need, like, two people or something."

"I'll go," Kai shrugged, setting down his water glass he was drinking out of.

"Alrighty then. Let's get to it," Jay nodded his head towards the door, and the two headed out, grabbing their golden weapons and waving goodbye to the other two.

"So," Cole turned to Zane, who turned to face him, holding a bowl of whatever lunch he was in the middle of prepping. "We have an hour or two until they get back. Nya's with Sensei buying stuff in town. What do you want to do?"

Zane blinked, and shrugged, placing the bowl in the fridge.

"Um, you up for some video games?" Cole tried, and Zane nodded slightly, starting towards the game room. The two settled down in front of the TV, Cole selecting a game and booting it up. Cole kept glancing over at Zane, who seemed unamused the whole time, staring at the screen with glazed over eyes.

"Okay, Zane, what's up?" Cole said, pausing the game, turning to look the Ice Ninja in the eyes. He shifted uncomfortably, not making any move to raise his hands to explain himself. "Just a bad day?"

Zane nodded, glad that Cole understood at least a little bit, and they were about to start the game up again when a large boom of thunder rattled the room. Cole jumped, letting out a small gasp of surprise. He was about to laugh at his overreaction when he saw Zane looking around with wide eyes, and Cole took a second to process.

"You ok?" Cole reached out and put a hand on Zane's shoulder, who jumped and scrambled away from his touch. "Zane, what's wrong?"

The Ice Ninja just shook his head, shrinking into himself when another thunder rumble startled him.

"Are you scared of storms?"

No response. Cole bit his lip, and decided to try a different approach. He gently coaxed Zane onto the couch, although the teen stayed as far away from Cole as he could, scrunched up against the arm of the couch with his arms wrapped around his torso.

"Zane, can I touch you?"

Zane cast him an uneasy glance, but nodded slowly. Cole scooched closer, trying to steady the shaking in his arms.

"Hey, Zane, it's ok, It's just me. Cole. C'mon, there you go," Cole smiled gently as Zane uncurled, eyes glued to the Earth Ninja as he gently twisted his knees to the side, taking a deep breath as the fear drained from his eyes.

"There you go, now just-" Cole was interrupted as thunder caused Zane to jump, but instead of curling back into a sweatshirt covered ball, he pressed up against Cole's arm, wrapping his arms around the Earth Ninja's sleeve. Cole just pulled him closer, letting Zane nuzzle his face into his chest. Zane's breathing was fast and uneven, so Cole quietly talked Zane through small breathing exercises under his breath.

"Match my breathing, Zane. C'mon. In... and out."

Zane tried, and Cole felt and appreciated the effort, making sure to voice his thoughts to the Ice Ninja.

"There you go. Good job, Zane. Keep going," He smoothed Zane's hair with one hand, and felt Zane tense, so he quickly withdrew, muttering apologies to the teen pressed against him.

Eventually, slowly, Cole felt Zane relax against him fully, asleep. Cole drifted off soon after, despite the thunder rolling in the distance.

* * *

"Hey losers, we're home!" Jay called an hour later, but the Monastery was silent.

"Uh, Cole?" Kai said shortly afterwards. No response.

"I'll find them. You go clean up first," Jay offered, and Kai accepted gratefully, heading towards the bathroom. Jay checked their rooms first, but to no avail. Then he checked the kitchen. No Zane.

Finally, he checked the game room to find the two still asleep, and Jay just stared for a second out of surprise. He lightly tread over to the front of the couch, and his heart melted at the sight of the two, although he wasn't quite sure what had put them in the scenario. Whatever the case, he ran a hand lightly through each of their hair before shutting the door softly behind him as he left, going to go join Kai in cleaning up.

* * *

 **By the way, the actual name for the fear of thunderstorms is astraphobia, but I kinda figured Cole wouldn't know the name for it, so I left it out. Hopefully I portrayed it well enough and didn't exaggerate it like I'm scared I did. In response to a guest named BadLilBoi, the amount of Techno implication was serious unintentional. Sorry if I led you on! XD Remember to R &R, and peace out!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Heyo! Now, you'll notice I skipped a lot in between chapters, mainly for plot's sake. I hope you all enjoy meeting everyone's favorite Greenbean nonetheless! ;)**

* * *

Zane peered around the doorframe to where Lloyd Garmadon slept. After releasing several bad snakes and wreaking even more havoc on various towns in Ninjago, he had wound up on the Destiny's Bounty, where the Ninja were living after a certain tribe of snakes had burned down the Monastery. Lloyd was only four years younger than the Ninja of Ice, not quite yet a teenager, and while Zane was happy to no longer be the youngest, a part of him sympathized with the kid.

Crappy dad and absent mom? Check. Terrible childhood? Check. Limited real world experience? Check. Living on a flying ship with a bunch of rowdy young adults? Check. Zane let his head rest against the door, watching as the tween slept. He knew it was slightly creepy, but he brushed those thoughts aside quickly as the child began to mumble.

Zane startled a little, but crept closer, halting in his tracks when Lloyd bolted upright, eyes wide but still slightly sleepy. His gaze settled on Zane, who wasn't quite sure on what to do as the child sheepishly glared at the Ice Ninja and flopped back down onto his bed.

"Go away," Lloyd tried to talk with conviction, but it came out as more of a plea. He threw his arm over his eyes. "Just a nightmare."

Zane shook his head, and sat down on the foot of the bed.

"You sure you can't talk? Not even a little bit?" Lloyd peeked out from under his arm, and Zane shook his head. Lloyd huffed. "You're no fun."

Zane, again, wasn't sure on how to answer. Lloyd seemed intrigued, yet very apathetic at the same time. Zane shrugged, the language barrier proving a formidable obstacle.

"Just leave me alone. I don't even know why you're here. It's not like you can even talk to me, anyway."

Zane just inched closer, and Lloyd eyed him suspiciously. "Hey, what're you doing?"

The Ice Ninja moved closer. Lloyd smothered his face in his pillow, and Zane scooched the rest of the way over, resting a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. Zane could tell that Lloyd was not a very huggable person at the moment, but even he could benefit from a little human contact. Lloyd almost rolled over and shooed the Ice Ninja out once and for all, but sighed instead, taking the pillow off his face.

"Fine, what do you want?"

Zane made a little puppet motion with his hand.

"You want me to..."

The teen thought for a second before just plain out signing _talk_ , wiggling his fingers in front of his mouth. Lloyd wasn't amused.

"Hey, I don't know that stuff!"

Zane tried for a third time, gently placing his finger on the tween's lip for a brief moment, ignoring the way the boy flinched for now. "You want me to talk?" Zane nodded enthusiastically, and Lloyd smiled. "Is that what that thing was?" Lloyd mimicked the sign, and Zane nodded, fixing his hand a little. "Huh. This whole signing thing isn't too hard after all."

Zane shrugged. That was a lesson for a different day.

"So, talk about what?"

Zane tapped his head, then mimed falling asleep on his hands. "Dreams?" Zane nodded again, and was filled with a small sense of pride at the look of accomplishment that appeared on the kid's face.

"Ok, I will. A little bit. But you have to show me what dream is first."

Zane smiled and rolled his eyes a little, signing _dream_ slowly so Lloyd could watch his movements. The kid laughed, and Zane had to hush him a little so he wouldn't wake up the rest of the Bounty.

"Ok, fine. I'll be quiet. But, uh, It's a little weird with you hovering over me like that," Lloyd shrunk under the covers, and Zane nodded, going to sit next to the tween on his bed. "Have you, uh, ever been scared of someone?"

Zane nodded grimly, and unconsciously curled in on himself a little. Lloyd didn't mention it. "So, Skales is still pretty scary. I mean, his eyes are glowing red and mind controlling! I guess, um, he still scares me a little. From when he tried to kidnap me."

Zane looked down at the kid in concern, not surprised to see him crying a little. He was still only eleven, after all. "I know it's stupid. I shouldn't be crying, I just..." Lloyd trailed off, and the Ice Ninja gently put an arm around him. Lloyd yawned.

"I'm tired. Are you tired? It's late," The tween observed, and Zane nodded slightly in agreement. Lloyd didn't say it, but he was grateful anyway when Zane slipped in beside him, taking Lloyd's extra pillow.

"Hey Zane? You should try talking again sometime. Who knows? You might be the next Morgan Freeman," Lloyd laughed, and Zane couldn't help but smile anyway. "Goodnight, Zane."

Although he couldn't say it back, Lloyd could've sworn he heard a goodnight slip from Zane's lips.

* * *

Sensei walked in the next morning to find his nephew and pupil sound asleep in the tiny twin bed he had given the child to stay in. Unsure of what led them to this scenario, he shook Zane awake gently, and beckoned Zane outside of the room. The Ice Ninja managed to sneak out undetected, and quietly shut the door.

 _Why were you in Lloyd's room?_

 _He couldn't sleep._

Zane shrugged, and Sensei realized that was all the information Zane was going to give.

"I don't know how you do it, Zane, but whatever it is, keep doing it. Lloyd will take a while to get accustomed to our lifestyle, and I have a feeling you will play a large part in that," Sensei whispered as he touched his staff to Zane's chest, and the Ice Ninja bowed slightly.

 _Yes, Sensei._

"Very well. Now, I assure you, nothing would delight Lloyd more than breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes."

Zane's eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly, dashing into the kitchen to begin the batter for the meanest batch of pancakes Ninjago would ever see.

* * *

 **Morgan Freeman is totally canon.**


	14. Chapter 14

Sensei waited until Zane had dashed off to go back in and wake his nephew up. He sat down where Zane had slept, and found that the bed was still warm. Wu gently shook Lloyd's shoulder, and the blonde groaned, turning over to face away from his uncle.

"Five more minutes," Lloyd pleaded, still half asleep, but Sensei wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Rise and shine, there is much to do today," Wu tried to encourage the boy, but it didn't really seem to help, as Lloyd grumbled, smooshing his head into the pillow case even farther.

"What do you want this early anyway?" The child mumbled, giving in.

"This is how early we wake up on the Bounty. Also, what was Zane doing in here with you?"

"Nothin'," Lloyd huffed, and Sensei simply waited for an answer, silently sitting next to Lloyd on his bed. The tween realized he wasn't going to win pretty quickly. "Fine... I had a nightmare, ok?"

Sensei gently rubbed the kid's shoulder, and Lloyd relaxed a little. "That is nothing to be ashamed of, nephew. You cannot control your dreams. How did Zane help you?"

"He didn't leave me alone," Lloyd grumbled, but both he and Wu knew he only half meant it. "Made me talk about stuff."

"You were able to communicate effectively?"

"Not very well, but we made it work," Lloyd was fully awake now, sitting up in bed. "Sign language is a lot easier than I thought!"

"Really?" Wu raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you give me a demonstration?"

Lloyd signed _talk_ and _dream_ , then stopped and looked at Sensei expectantly, as if searching for praise.

"While you have those two memorized, there is still much to learn. Maybe Zane will even teach you some more over breakfast," Wu offered, knowing very well the Ice Ninja had never agreed to this, only feeling the slightest bit of remorse when Lloyd practically leapt out of bed to go and harass the teen while he made breakfast.

* * *

Lloyd, being the prankster that he was, decided that the residents of the Bounty were the perfect candidates for his jokes after a week of hanging around the ninja crew. First he had put food coloring in Kai's hair gel so his hair was tinted green for the day. Next, he had downloaded a mod onto Jay's video game so all of the character's skins were replaced with large rectangles of black pixels, which had made the Lightning Ninja so mad he hoarded his games for a month. His latest prank involved loading up an air horn sound on Cole's phone, which he had borrowed for "educational purposes", and was waiting for the Ice Ninja to walk by the game room. Granted, it wasn't up to par with a lot of his creative work, but it would have to do.

He heard the light footsteps approaching, and made sure the volume was turned all the way up when Zane passed the doorway. He jumped, pressing play as the speaker passed Zane's ear, and the Ice Ninja startled so badly that he dropped the platter he had been carrying onto the ground, the ceramic shattering into pieces that scattered across the wooden floor.

Zane stared, frozen to the spot. Lloyd cackled, not caring about the plate. He kept laughing as Nya and Cole rushed in from the deck, surprised by the crash.

"What was- Zane! Are you ok?" Cole ran over, careful to stop before the shattered pieces. Kai and Jay ran out from the bedroom behind Zane, just as startled as the rest. Jay ran up next to Zane, looking at the shattered ceramic, and then at the Ice Ninja's face. It was even paler than normal, and when Jay went to rest a hand on his shoulder, he flinched away even harder than usual, taking a step back. Jay's expression darkened.

"Cole, take Lloyd back into the game room. Kai, Nya, get a broom and pick this up. I'll take Zane," Jay ordered, and the others, who usually would've mocked the Lightning Ninja, nodded solemnly.

"Lloyd, come on, let's go-"

"No! Why do I have to-"

"Lloyd. Now," Cole huffed, pulling the child inside the room with him. He shut the door, the tension high as the Earth Ninja sat down on the couch, running his hands through his hair.

"Why are you so mad at me? You didn't get nearly as mad when I dyed Kai's hair green."

"That was funny and harmless. It washed out after a day. The stunt you pulled out there," Cole raised his gaze to look at Lloyd. "was not harmless, nor was it funny."

"Oh come on. I didn't hurt anybody."

Cole didn't respond, sitting back so his head was resting against a cushion.

"Lloyd, I need you to understand why that wasn't acceptable. Jay, Kai, Nya, or I could handle a scare like that. Zane can't."

"But why-"

"Not important," Cole grit his teeth, and Lloyd huffed.

"C'mon, you can tell me!" Lloyd pleaded, sitting next to the Earth Ninja, who looked at him with a sadness in his eyes that Lloyd couldn't decipher.

"Lloyd, trust me on this one," Cole said, his voice soft. "I know you're curious, but now's not the time. That's up for Zane to decide. Also, I think you're too young anyway."

"Am not!" The child protested, crossing his arms. "I'm eleven!"

"Glad you see you can count," Cole rolled his eyes. "But that's still too young."

"But Zane's fifteen. He's only four years older than I am," Lloyd noticed the young adult tense at the fact.

"Don't remind me," Cole grumbled. "He's too young too."

"That doesn't make any sense," Lloyd retorted, but Cole didn't make a snarky comment back. He turned his gaze down to the kid sitting next to him, and sighed softly.

"Listen, Lloyd, I know you're gonna want to ask Zane a lot of questions after this, but don't. Ok? Zane just needs his space for a little," Cole danced around everything he wished he could tell Lloyd, all the explanations he wanted to give the curious child. But for Zane's sake, he kept his mouth shut.

"Fine," Lloyd slumped in his seat. Silence overtook the two of them for a few minutes, but Lloyd's boredom soon made itself known. "When can I leave?"

"Let me check," Cole stood, taking great care to shut the door quietly behind him. He found Nya and Kai leaning outside of the bedroom, where the door was shut tightly, the ground free of ceramic pieces.

"How's it going?" Cole asked, and Kai shrugged.

"Don't know. We heard Jay mumble a bit at the beginning, but we haven't heard him in a bit," Kai looked like he wanted to go in, but kept his feet planted on the ground. Nya didn't look as stressed.

"Can I go in?" The Earth Ninja asked, and Nya stepped away from the doorknob.

"Worth a shot. Kai and I are just really bad with dealing with stuff like this," She kept her voice low as Cole cracked open the door, slipping inside. He found Jay sitting on the ground, back up against the opposite wall, a shaky but coherent Zane in between his legs with his arms wrapped around the Lightning Ninja.

Jay looked up and met eyes with Cole, who silently asked for permission to stay. Jay nodded slightly, and mumbled something to Zane that Cole couldn't hear. The Ice Ninja lifted his head up, releasing Jay, and turned around to face Cole, not moving from in between Jay's knees.

"Hey Zane. Feeling a little better?" Cole asked softly, sitting in front of Jay's feet. Zane nodded, tucking his arms inside of the sweater he was wearing, a clear signal that he was not up for chatting. The Ice Ninja yawned, and Jay shifted, sitting up to ease the cramps in his legs.

"You can take a nap in here, Zane. I won't let anyone come in," Jay offered, and Zane gladly took him up on the offer, standing somewhat awkwardly with his lack of arms, and falling back onto his bed.

"Sweet dreams, Frosty," Cole smiled as he and Jay left, but as soon as they shut the door, Jay's calm and collected look turned angry.

"I swear, if I ever meet this guy, I'm gonna shock him so hard his hair will stand up for a year," Jay threatened quietly, lightning crackling at his fingertips.

"I mean, I know _why_ , but why specifically?" Nya asked, and Jay motioned them away from the door, into the kitchen.

"Look, Zane dropped a plate and thought we were going to "correct" him, if you catch my drift. Do you know how many times I had to promise him I wasn't going to hit him before he let me get within five feet of him? Even then, he didn't fully trust me. He only let me hug him like that within the last minute before Cole came in," Jay snarled, and Cole had to dig his nails into his hand to control his anger.

"What did you tell Lloyd?" Kai asked, and the Earth Ninja could see he was holding back some choice words.

"I just told him that Zane couldn't handle scared like that. Nothing else," Cole's eyes widened. "Lloyd!"

Cole ran back to the game room, where Lloyd was angrily bouncing his foot on the floor.

"It's about time!" He huffed, and Cole winced.

"Sorry. Tell you what, we have some ice cream in the freezer if you want some."

"Really? Yup, you're forgiven. Bye!" Lloyd dashed out of the room, and Cole sighed. Having Lloyd on the Bounty was going to be a lot harder than he thought.


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you Fanart Samurai! I feel very much honored right now. Go check out her tumblr (the-timeline-rune) to see a bit of fanart she did for this story. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

A lot had happened over the past few weeks, but definitely the most jarring of all was Sensei leaving to get help after Lloyd was kidnapped by a bunch of angry snakes. Not fun.

Sensei had gone out in some ultra weird realm that none of the ninja knew anything about, so the young adults/teenager were left on their own for a while until he returned. Zane was in a spinny chair, trying to time bouncing a ball against the wooden walls with his spins at various speeds when the alarm blared for an attack. The ball smacked Zane in the face as he stopped his fun abruptly, but he shook it off and jumped off of the chair, almost falling over from dizziness. He peered at the address the screen displayed as the others rushed in, in various states of annoyance.

"Ok, let's see, 4 Mulbury Lane in Ninjago City. East side," Cole announced, stepping back. "Wait, isn't that the rich section? Unless the Serpentine are looking for money, there's not a lot there they could-"

 _Blueprints._ Zane signed, face paling.

"Blueprints? Why would they go to that section for... oh," Jay gulped. "Zane, are we going where I think we're going?"

Zane looked up at Jay solemnly, and nodded. _Home_.

* * *

Zane sat on the back of Kai's bike, clinging onto the Fire Ninja's gi. His thoughts were too scattered and paranoia-filled to summon his own motorcycle, so Kai had offered his as a temporary ride. Zane couldn't really sign while hanging on as Kai drove through the city, so he was left to his own thoughts, resting his head against the back of Kai's shirt.

As much as Zane disliked his father, he knew that he owned a wide variety of companies and products, so he was an important man economically. Socially, however, there was a reason why the Julien mansion didn't get many visitors. Most of the family's friends had been linked to his mom, so when she died, they had disappeared as well. Not that Zane remembered them all that well, since it had been almost ten years since he'd seen any of them.

The mansion came into view, and Zane's heart sank. A horde of snakes surrounded it, and the Ice Ninja immediately picked out Skales and Acidicus from the crowd. Pythor must have stayed behind to guard Lloyd. Kai slowed with the others, and made his bike vanish, Zane's feet hitting the paved ground with a dull thump.

"Here we are," Kai grimaced, mouth forming a thin line. "Welcome home, Frosty."

Zane calmed a little bit at the familiar nickname, but it didn't stop his heart from racing and his hands from shaking. He looked up at Kai, who had unspoken concern in his eyes. " _Maybe we should have left you at home..."_ The Fire Ninja thought, but bit his lip for Zane's sake.

Jay and Cole joined them, and Jay took on a similar expression to Kai, signing to Zane.

 _You ok? You can stay back here if you want. You're not looking too good._

 _I will be fine. Eventually._ Zane added on as an afterthought. Jay nodded, and turned to the others.

"Ready to go?" Cole sighed, and the team nodded. "Alright then, let's do this."

They approached the manor, easily knocking out a small batch of snakes that lingered around the edge of the property. Zane personally would have stayed fighting those snakes forever, or at least until the problem inside the house had been taken care of, but the team gently coaxed him along with them. After a few scuffles with small groups, the ninja finally reached the center problem. The gates had been torn down, the metal bent at odd angles.

Even in its disastrous state, the ninja couldn't help but be in awe of the manor. The entire house was made of white stone, gray slabs forming the ceiling. Pillars surrounded the outside, holding up the outer part of the roof. The glass windows were huge, although many of them were broken at the moment. Two fountains framed the massive doors at the front, the water flowing from a different woman in each one.

Jay was about to ask who each one was, but Zane beat him to it.

 _This one,_ He pointed to the left. _Is the original Master of Ice. My great grandmother. The one on the right,_ He gestured briefly, drawing his hands back as soon as he pointed. _Is my mother._

"Oh," Jay said, his voice cracking. Cole nodded, and Kai made a mental note to ask later who the first person was. He wasn't as fast of a learner as Cole, Sensei, or Nya.

They ventured into the yard, Zane's earlier hesitance replaced with a determination of sorts, his steps sure and purposeful as opposed to the usual tentative stride. The other three noticed the change, but didn't say anything incase it ruined the Ice Ninja's newly found confidence. Of course, all good things must come to an end, and Zane's boldness ended when they stepped in the doors.

The vast entrance room was ruined by the intruders, and the sight of his home in ruins, despite the terrible memories the place conjured up, was enough to make Zane falter.

The Ice Ninja took a second to breathe, and motioned the others to follow him, dashing to where his father's workplace was. They navigated the hallways with ease under Zane's guidance, knocking out a few stray snakes along the way. Zane stopped at the door, and although nobody mentioned it, the ninja saw the teen go to knock before realizing and opening the door.

Stray pieces of paper lay scattered around the room, pencils and protractors and rulers in disarray. Zane, perhaps instinctually, gathered the fallen blueprints, cradling them in his arms before setting them onto the desk and clipping them together. Jay and Cole exchanged a look as Zane smoothed them out one last time before turning to the other three.

 _Important ones not here. Must be with Father._

"Alright then. Let's go find everyone's favorite person," Jay sighed, and Zane led them, a little more slowly this time, through the hall ways, until they reached the master bedroom.

Zane pressed his ear to the door, and heard faint mumbling and a little bit of struggling. He nodded to the team, and pushed the door open.

Pythor, with a stack of blueprints in arm, whipped around to face them, his face startled. Zane's heart sank even more at what was in his other hand. Between his fingers, Pythor clutched the ropes of a very much tied up Victor Julien, with no intention of letting his father go.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey y'all! This chapter ties into the part of the original series where Julien is held captive by Samukai, except I changed it up a bit. And to The Titan's Shadow, I very much agree that Zane is indeed Ninjago Hearth. Enjoy!**

* * *

Zane froze. Honestly, he had run into the room with no real plan in mind. He hadn't exactly had time to think, with the whole going-back-to-your-childhood-home thing. So when the Ice Ninja ran into the room and saw his father held captive by the unofficial snake king, he did what any normal fifteen year old would do in that situation. If he wasn't surrounded by people that expected some level of maturity from him, he might've just given up and had a mental breakdown on the floor.

The other three backed him up, however, and Jay's gentle hand on his shoulder snapped him back to reality. Zane wasn't sure whether the hand was to comfort him or to remind Jay not to beat up Julien in front of the Ice Ninja.

"Back so soon?" Pythor hissed, his fingers curling around the papers defensively. "The brat isn't here, if that's what you're wondering."

"Actually, we're here because you have those," Cole gestured to the blueprints, and Pythor scoffed.

"A few papers? Oh, these aren't important. In fact, I was more in search of him," The snake tightened his grip on Julien's bonds, and the man gave Pythor a look so severe that Zane shrunk in on himself from the other side of the room.

"Listen up, you filthy-"

"Shut up," Kai glared, and Julien complied, mostly out of surprise. The Fire Ninja huffed, and stepped forward. "Let him go, Pythor."

"Says who?" The serpent grinned, and Zane pulled off his mask, pointing to himself. _Me._

"You? I don't take orders from toddlers," Pythor rolled his eyes, and Julien didn't say anything, he just stared at his son in such a way that Jay couldn't decipher what the man was thinking.

"Actually," Jay sauntered up to where Zane and Kai where standing, removing his mask as well. Kai followed suite. "Zane's not a toddler. Technically, by human standards at least, he is comfortably a teenager."

"As are Jay and Kai," Cole shrugged, uncovering his face and walking up to be on their level. "I'm the only ninja here not in their teens. I guess that means you listen to me," Cole pulled out his scythe, the gold glinting under the warm glow of the sunshine from the windows. Jay and Kai drew their weapons too, but Zane hesitated. He glanced to each of his friends' faces, each one of them focusing on the two in front and not the Ice Ninja. They were so ready to defend him, to fight for him, that he couldn't help but feel a small rush of pride as he pulled out his shurikens.

The thought of his son wielding sharp pointy objects near him seemed to scare Julien as he was quick to try and defuse the situation.

"Now now, we don't need to resort to violence..."

Cole shot the older man a stupefied look, eyes wide with disbelief. "I _can't_ believe you just said that."

Kai took the lull in the action to lunge at Pythor, sword pointing towards the serpent's hand that was holding Julien. Pythor dropped the papers to better defend himself, and grabbed his dagger, which was hanging off the edge of the desk behind him. He parried Kai, and took the opportunity to promptly throw Julien off the side of the open balcony doors right behind him.

Zane was off in a flash, running right past Pythor, much to the snake's surprise, and jumping off the balcony railing with ease. He was able to concentrate now, and saw the snakes below catch his father right before he hit the ground. The Ice Ninja summoned his motorcycle, and hit the ground with an earth shattering thump as he revved his engine, a simple plan formulating as he accelerated.

As he approached the snakes, who were now awkwardly trying to escape holding a tied up man between them, he shot ice from his bike under them, making them slip as he grabbed his father's restraints. Julien had the sense to try and hold on, and managed a decent grip on the seat with his bound hands. Zane drove until he reached part of the woods with no snakes, and dismounted his motorcycle. He waited until his father slipped off to poof it, slicing the ropes with a few strokes. Zane pointed at the ground, then at his father, which sent a very clear message of _don't move._

The Ice Ninja rode back to mansion, where the others were just exiting, weapons strapped to their backs.

 _Left father in woods. Told him to stay put._ Zane explained, and Jay nodded.

 _Good thinking. You doing ok?_

 _Better._ Zane managed a smile, which made the team grin.

"So, shall we pay a visit to dear old dad?" Cole asked, peering off towards the direction Zane had come from. The Ice Ninja shrugged, so the team rode over, with Jay hitching a ride on Zane's bike (the plane seemed a bit excessive). When they arrived Julien was sitting under the tree Zane had set him under, all in all looking very unimpressed.

"What's with the face? We just saved your sorry butt," Jay grumbled, and Julien sighed.

"I'm no stranger to his elemental master business, as I'm sure he has shared with you," He cast a side glance to Zane, who shifted uncomfortably. "I suppose it only bores me now that she's not the one doing the saving."

"Well, hate to break it to you, but Zane's the master of ice now, and he's a mighty fine one at that," Cole slung an arm over Zane's shoulder, and Julien stood up, gesturing Cole away as he approached his son. The Earth Master reluctantly slunk away, but Zane just tilted his head up to look his father in the eyes.

"I would like a moment alone with him, if you will," Julien glanced at Kai, who shook his head.

"No can do. We're not leaving him alone with you for a second."

"I promise no harm will come to him by my hand here," Julien said all too warmly, and Kai looked at Zane for approval. The Ice Ninja's face steeled, and he nodded briefly.

"You sure?" Jay asked skeptically, and Zane nodded once more. "Um, alright then. Let's go, I guess."

The three left somewhat awkwardly, and Zane watched their vehicles disappear as they approached the mansion. His father turned to him, slight bits of rage and sorrow dancing in his eyes.

"Zane, come with me, won't you? We've much to discuss."


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey y'all! Guess what happened last chapter. We hit 100 reviews! *distant air horn* Thank you all so so so much for the continued support, and enjoy the latest chapter!**

* * *

 _Two Years Ago, Age 13_

Zane held an envelope in his hand, careful not to bend it as he carefully knocked on his father's door. Only that one letter had come in the mail today, and the teen knew his father was busy in his workshop. If he left it downstairs and it turned out to be important, he would be punished for delaying information. If he interrupted Julien's work and the letter was meaningless, he would also be punished. Zane had learned over the years to risk intruding, since his father usually didn't have time for a proper punishment if he was busy.

The door swung open, Julien's gray eyes piercing him as Zane offered up the letter with shaking hands. The paper was ripped open, his father scanning the letter with his usual coldness before shutting the door. Zane sighed in relief, and that was that. Safe for a few more hours.

* * *

 _One Year Ago, Age 14_

Zane buried his face into his knees, trying to muffle his harsh breaths. His arms still stung from where nails had dug into his skin as his father had scolded him harshly. What had he done? He couldn't remember. Maybe he had been too loud while his father had his guests over, but that was unlikely. Had he messed up the soup he was cooking earlier? He had improvised, so maybe there was something in it they didn't like. No matter the offense, Zane could hear the men laughing upstairs, his father's voice not among them. Julien never laughed.

Had his father returned to the party yet? Zane strained his hearing, and couldn't locate his father's voice. Of course, Julien had reprimanded Zane out of sight of the men, so he most likely just wasn't back yet. Yes, that was the best explanation. Nowhere near him right now.

Zane lifted his head, propping his chin on his hands. His mattress crinkled underneath him as he shifted, the teen falling on his side, arms still wrapped around his legs, unwilling to let go. He stared at the one possession he kept hidden from his father: an old tattered book on sign language. He had been given it by his mother when he was little, her knowing that he'd grow up reading about his way of life. Julien thought he had grabbed it, but Zane had managed to preserve his most prized possession. It was his. No one could ever take this one little piece of his life away.

* * *

 _Present Day, Age 15_

When Sensei had asked him if he had wanted to grab anything from the mansion, he said no, knowing that it would mean sneaking around his father, something he was very unwilling to do. But now, as he stared his father in the eyes, he knew what he wanted.

 _I want my book._ Zane signed curtly, and his father's eyes narrowed.

"What book? You didn't have any books," Julien said defensively as he realized what his son was talking about.

 _You know which one. I want it._ The Ice Ninja signed with just as much pointedness as his father spoke.

"The mansion is torn apart. You won't find it. Besides, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about," Julien scowled, and led the Ice Ninja farther into the forest. Just as Zane was debating if running away was a reasonable option, he stopped, staring up at a tree.

"You are the ninja of ice, Zane. You inherited your mother's powers, but you already know that. Ariana was an amazing woman, everything that one could ever want in a wife," Julien said wistfully, keeping his gaze on the same spot. Zane followed his eyes, and found he was staring at a small carved snowflake. "You are nothing like your mother, and at the same time, you are almost the same person."

 _Then why do you hate me so much?_

"You," Julien stared at Zane with distaste. "are just a reminder that happiness is fleeting. Your mother was the most beautiful and awe inspiring person I have known. You represent everything I have lost."

Zane tried his best not to flinch when Julien reached for his shoulder, but he heard the elder sigh as he recoiled when strong fingers gripped his arm.

 _That doesn't excuse anything._ Zane tried his best to sign while his left arm was being weighed down, and Julien seemed to ponder the statement for a second.

"In your eyes, I suppose not," He didn't elaborate immediately, and grey irises met blue for a long moment before he spoke again. "In mine, I am still not sure."

Zane supposed that was better than nothing, but he didn't lower his guard any more.

"Honestly, when I heard you would never speak, I was devastated. Ariana seemed to take it in stride. She forced me to learn to sign, and she taught you from the moment you opened your eyes. It never appealed to me. The hand movements required for signing seem so insipid, foolish even. I thought it undignified, but she never thought twice about it at all."

 _By extent, I'm foolish?_

"Yes, I see you're catching on," Julien gave a smirk that made Zane's blood run cold.

 _I'm happy to see my life is a joke to you._ Zane glared off into the woods, suddenly wholeheartedly regretting agreeing to come out here at all. _Have I just been your toy all these years?_

"I wouldn't say that exactly, but essentially, yes," Julien shrugged, and Zane had to take a deep breath to calm himself, his shurikens pulsing with energy at his sides. "However, Zane, I brought you out here for more than that. Do you see the snowflake carved into this tree?"

Zane nodded. _Did my mother put that there?_

"Yes, she did. In fact, it was a time capsule."

Julien reached down beneath the tree's roots, and pulled out a small, ornate box, with the same snowflake etched into the front. His father opened the latch, lifting the lid slowly as not to break it.

Zane drew in a sharp breath, hands shaking as he picked up the object tucked away inside the silky lining.


	18. Chapter 18

**Surprise, I'm not dead! *throws confetti* Here's the end of the Julien saga, and Zane is able to put his dysfunctional family behind him. Enjoy!**

* * *

The letters and pictures tied up in a thin blue bow shook along with Zane's fingers as he fumbled to open them. As the knot came undone, paper spilled into his hands, and his eyes darted to each one excitedly. For a moment, he forgot his father was there with him.

"There's more in the box, you know. I'm not going to stand here while you pour over those pictures," Julien grumbled, and Zane straightened up, moving the papers back together in a pile. He reached inside the box again, this time pulling out a small piano book from when he was young. He flipped through the worn pages, intermediate melodies flowing over the paper and playing in his head. He was rusty, having not played in quite some time, but it didn't matter to him as he stared in awe at the booklet.

The last thing in the box was a necklace. A little silver snowflake locket was strung on a chain of a matching color, the clasp opening to reveal a miniscule image of his mother and himself at around three years old, his arms thrown around her neck. Zane felt tears well up in his eyes, and Julien scoffed.

"Grow up. I only showed you this stuff to clear my conscious. Just to make sure we understand each other," Julien looked down at his son with scorn in his eyes. "I have no intention of being on friendly terms with you. You still don't belong in this family, and you've already taken up too much of my time. I have a mansion to repair."

 _I'm glad to see the feeling is mutual._ Zane hooked the clasp around his neck, feeling the cold metal make the hairs there stand up. Clutching the book and the letters, he summoned his motorcycle, looking at his father square in the face. He mock saluted his father with his free hand before driving off, clutching the letters tightly. He approached the others a minute later, slowing down as to dismount safely. When he did, Jay immediately ran over, face worried.

"Come here, I need to see," Jay fussed, checking over and exposed skin. "No bruises or anything?"

Zane shook his head, brushing the Lightning Ninja off. The sparkle of the pendant caught Kai's eye, and he stepped forward as well.

"What's this? Got some new bling?" He gently took the charm in his hand, running his finger over the metal.

Zane handed off the letters and book to Jay so he could sign. _My mother left a time capsule. Had this necklace and those papers._

"Huh. Is that what he wanted? I suppose you and dear old dad didn't make up?" Cole joined the rest of them, rolling his eyes at his own statement. Zane shook his head quickly, taking back the papers, holding them close as the team sped away on their respective vehicles, Zane once again hitching a ride, this time with Cole, so he could clutch his new possessions tightly.

Back at the Bounty, Zane realized he had never gotten his book. He silently sighed, and his hand unconsciously went up to the locket when he thought about his mother giving him the book, how he had hidden it under his mattress. He thought about going back to retrieve it, but just the thought of returning made him shudder. Just as he was about to organize the letters for the fifth time, a knock sounded on his door.

"You decent?" Jay called, and Zane knocked once on his desk, his version of _yes_. The Lightning Ninja entered, looking as if he was treading on glass. "How are you feeling?"

Zane cocked his head slightly, and Jay shut the door. "You went back to your old home. You saw your father. Surely you can't feel one hundred percent ok?"

 _I suppose I have not exactly thought about it too much. I have tried not to. I was scared, I admit, but I am not sure how I am now._ Zane wrung his hands, suddenly realizing how this conversation was going to go.

"Zane," Jay calmly walked over and sat on the bed, patting the spot next to him in invitation. Zane followed suite. "I know you better than you think. You're suppressing everything because you don't want us to worry about you, right? Well, you acting as though nothing happened is worse. We don't know what he said to you, but I'm guessing it was no picnic."

Zane refused to look the Lightning Ninja in the eyes, running his hands up and down his arms. Jay didn't try to push, instead kicking back and laying on the Ice Ninja's bed as Zane hugged himself closer.

"I will give you space if you absolutely need it, Zane, but I believe you need to vent. So, I'm ready when you are."

Zane looked at Jay for a long moment before unfurling, raising his hands hesitantly.

 _You are right. I am suppressing a lot of things._ The Ice Ninja paused, thinking. _My father called me a joke, a waste of his time. That I am not worth the air I breathe. I do not believe you and the others can help me with self esteem more than you already have. It is not your problem. However, I know that nothing can change his mind, so I will never be anything more to him. It is weirdly comforting._ Zane's mouth quirked into an odd smile, and Jay laughed.

"it is weird, I'll tell you that. But you're a good weird. We're all a good weird," The Lightning Ninja pulled Zane down with him, and the two looked up at the ceiling together, nothing more on Zane's mind other than the Lightning Ninja lying next to him.


	19. Chapter 19

There's nothing like starting off your day with your Sensei telling you that there's a such a thing as "true potential", spouting some cryptic wisdom, and leaving you high and dry to figure out what the heck he just said.

"I mean, Kai can run across hot coals, Cole can lift boulders, I can stand on top of a lightning rod and come out unharmed, and Zane could stand in shorts in a snowstorm and get heat stroke," Jay scoffed, rolling over onto his stomach, resting his head on a couch cushion. "I don't really see what else we can do."

"Maybe Sensei wants us to master each other's elements," Cole wondered out loud, resting his head on his hand and smiling. "Like, maybe I can learn to set myself on fire."

 _I could learn to lift two hundred pounds,_ Zane grinned.

"I could sit in a swim suit buried in snow and not die of frostbite," Jay suggested.

"And I could take a bath with the toaster and see how long I last before I get electrocuted," Kai finished, and the ninja all laughed.

"Yeah, I guess that idea's out," Jay snorted, thinking about how Kai's hair would look standing on end from static.

"Ok, so what do you guys think?" Kai asked, and the other three thought for a moment.

 _Maybe we all have some dark secretive past that we need to uncover._

"I mean, Kai and Zane are kind of lacking in the dad department, so maybe it's a dad thing," Jay shrugged, and Cole shifted in his seat.

"Yeah, they're not the only ones."

The other three stared.

"Cole, my man, you too? Let's see, my dad's dead, Zane's is a horrible human being, is yours crazy? Prone to galloping around in a tutu singing commercial jingles?" Kai joked, but he was genuinely empathetic towards the Earth Ninja. Zane looked mildly concerned as well.

"Well, he kind of thinks I'm at a dance academy right now."

"You? A dancer?" Jay huffed out a laugh. "Cole, no offence, but you have two left feet."

"I know! That's why I ran away. We were never on great terms anyway," The Earth Ninja was beginning to regret bringing this topic up. He hadn't talked to anyone about his dad other than Sensei, and that was only because he was alone with him until Jay arrived. Just then, Nya ran in. Perfect timing.

"Guys, we found the location of another Fang Blade! Have any of you heard of the Blade Cup?"

* * *

The four ninja stood outside of Cole's dad's door, going over the plan together before they rang the doorbell.

"Cole, I'm so tone deaf, we're so dead," Kai hissed as Cole reached up a hand to knock, and the Earth Ninja rolled his eyes.

"Relax. If I can convince him that Zane's our accompanist, I can do anything."

Zane nervously clutched his book that they had picked up on the way, flipping through the pages. Between not touching a piano in years and sight reading a music book, he was beyond anxious. Jay, having at least a little bit of vocal skill from his years in his middle school choir, was more worried about Zane than himself.

"Are you sure about this? I mean, Frosty hasn't touched an instrument in years. We have no way of knowing that he can even play anymore," Jay bit his lip, and Cole sighed.

"We don't have a choice. I'm knocking," Cole steeled his expression, and knocked thrice on the door. Muffled footsteps sounded from inside the house, and the door opened.

"What, too good for the doorbell? Try again," Cole's dad slammed the door in their faces.

Cole massaged his forehead, already done, and rang the bell. A chord played, sung by a few different men, and the door swung open again.

"Cole, how wonderful to see you again! Do bring your friends in," He grinned, and Cole attempted to smile back just as warmly.

The four ninja walked in, all except the Earth Ninja marveling at the amount of music memorabilia on the walls.

"My name is Lou, it is very nice to meet you all," Lou went around and shook each ninja's hand.

"I'm Kai."

"I'm Jay."

 _I'm Zane._ The Ice Ninja signed hesitantly, waiting for a negative reaction.

Lou stared.

"Dad, this is Zane. He's not deaf, so don't try to talk behind his back," Cole laughed nervously, and Lou raised an eyebrow.

"Can he talk?"

"He's mute, he gets along fine though," Cole slung an arm over the Ice Ninja's shoulder.

"My apologies, Zane, but what do you do at the academy if you can't speak?"

"He plays piano," Jay responded, and Zane held up his book as an explanation. Lou nodded, moving on from the issue.

"Now Cole, not that I don't enjoy your company, but why are you here?" Lou asked, scanning the group.

"We wanted to know about the Blade Cup. And if we could borrow your trophy." Cole asked point blank, and Kai had to stop himself from face-palming.

"For your information, I've already given the trophy back. The competition's only in a few days, you know," Lou eyed Cole suspiciously. "It's held at the academy, Cole. Why don't you know this?"

"Slipped my mind, is all," Cole shrugged nonchalantly, even though his mind was screaming in panic. "Before we talk, could we get some lunch? None of us really had any breakfast."

"Sure, sure. Come on, I'll fix some sandwiches."

Zane held Jay back for a few seconds.

 _I'm going to go practice on the piano. Not really hungry anyway._

 _No problem. I'll tell the others._

Zane wondered off from there, finding his way to the grand piano in the practice room. He took a seat, placed his hands on the keys, but couldn't find it in him to play. He stood up and moved to the keyboard, where there were headphones plugged in. He sighed in relief, and slipped the device over his head, turning the keyboard on. He found it much easier to practice knowing that his playing was kept to himself.

He warmed up with some of the exercises, the treble and bass clefs coming easily to him as he played chords and scales. After a while. he realized that the song he was about to play required keys lower than the keyboard offered, so he moved to the grand piano, forgetting that there were others in the house with him.

He sat down, took a deep breath, and began playing.

In the dining room, the ninja were laughing when they heard a melody coming from the end of the hallway, Lou seemed intrigued, excusing himself from the group to investigate. He walked in quietly as not to disturb the Ice Ninja as he played, the teen seemingly not noticing that he was there. One by one, the others joined him, Jay secretly recording Zane on his phone.

When the Ice Master finished, he took his hands off the keys, and went to flip to the next song when Lou started clapping. Zane jumped as if Jay had shocked him, whipping around to face the group. A blush spread across his face as the others joined him, Cole celebrating silently behind his father.

"Nice job, Zane. You're really getting that one down," Kai lied, leaning against the doorframe.

"Agreed," Jay winked, and Lou walked towards Zane, taking a seat beside him on the piano.

"Any duets?" Lou smiled, and Zane shrugged, flipping through the pages. The other three took a front row seat to the show, Zane becoming more and more comfortable as Lou played alongside him.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20! We made it! I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed or favorited this story along the way from the bottom of my heart, and welcome anyone new. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Later that night, Lou woke up, deciding that he needed a drink of water. He rose from his bed and padded to the kitchen, eyes flitting to the digital clock. Two in the morning. He filled his cup with water from the fridge, and stood there in the silence of the morning with his glass. As he calmly sipped his drink, he saw a faint glow from down the hall. He narrowed his eyes, and crept down the hallway, blinking against the harsh light as he entered the room. Zane stood at a keyboard, headphones making his platinum hair stick out from under the cushioned top. Lou wasn't sure how to approach the teen, and was about to leave when Zane removed his headphones and turned around.

He jumped violently, clutching his book to his chest. Lou put his hands up in a sign of peace as the teen attempted to regain his composure. Lou noticed the leftover tears in his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Lou asked, cautiously approaching the teen, who nodded hesitantly and took a step backwards. "Why are you up so early? I said that we started practicing at eight. It's not even close."

Zane shrugged noncommittally, not sure how to approach the situation. Lou eyed him suspiciously, his sleepiness fading quickly as Zane fidgeted under his gaze.

"Let's get you a drink, hm?" Lou moved his cup in acknowledgment, and Zane followed him uneasily into the kitchen. "Water fine?"

Zane nodded, sliding into a barstool at the counter.

"Do you want a paper and pencil? I don't exactly know..." Lou raised his hands to be level with his chest, moving them almost like jazz hands. Zane got the idea. The teen nodded, rubbing his eyes as Cole's father set the items in front of him.

"So, why _are_ you up so early?" Lou asked again as he filled another cup with water. Zane bit the inside of his cheek before he answered, hands slightly shaky. When Lou set his cup of water down in front of him, he took the paper, flipping it so he could read the response.

 _New places freak me out sometimes. Happened my first night with them too._

"I see," Lou stated, sliding the paper back. "Is playing the piano calming to you?"

Zane nodded, and Lou relaxed, but he still hadn't forgotten the look on the teen's face earlier. "Are you quite sure you're alright? You looked pretty shaken earlier."

Zane nodded quickly, determined to take the man's mind off of that. Cole spoke to him in the same tone of voice when he didn't believe a thing Zane was saying.

"Dad? What's going on?" Cole rubbed his eyes, stepping into the muted light of the kitchen.

"Zane and I were just talking," Lou said sternly, and Cole sat down next to the Ice Ninja, able to read the teen like a book.

"You mind if I talk to Zane privately for a sec?" The Earth Ninja turned to his father, who nodded.

"Don't let me stop you."

Cole pulled Zane into the bathroom, shutting the door. He flicked the lights on, and blinked as he adjusted.

 _I know that look. What's bothering you?_

 _Nothing._ Zane signed weakly, already knowing that trying to protest was futile.

 _Zane._ Cole used Zane's name sign, which looked like a long stretched out "Z", coming the letter and the sign for snow. Jay's idea, considering Zane had long forgotten his original one.

 _Couldn't sleep. Home still giving me bad dreams._ Zane's arms wrapped around each other after signing dream, waiting while Cole tried to figure out what to say. Suddenly, a look of concern crossed his face.

 _Are you scared of my dad?_

Zane shook his head initially, before even thinking about it. He had played a few duets with him, and Lou didn't bother him then, so why would he now?

Well, the way Cole and his dad would sometimes snap at each other made him nervous. At dinner, Zane had to excuse himself to the bathroom just so he could level his heartbeat without the others seeing. He knew Cole wouldn't hurt him. Then why did it make him nervous?

He looked back at the Earth Ninja, and revised his answer.

 _Not sure yet._

 _Understandable. You need to vent, or will you be fine?_

 _I should be fine._ Zane gave Cole a shaky smile, and the Earth Ninja ruffled his hair with a grin of his own.

 _Do you want me to explain anything to my dad? I think he suspects something is up. I heard him on the way in._

 _I'm going to go back to bed, you can talk to him if you want, I trust you to say what you think is fit._

"Thanks," Cole whispered before giving Zane a light hug, which the Ice Ninja reciprocated. "Goodnight."

 _Goodnight._

Zane and Cole left the bathroom together, Cole waving goodnight to Zane as the teen headed back to bed. When they heard the door shut quietly, Cole turned to his dad.

"Cole?"

"Yeah?"

"Is Zane... alright?" Lou asked, unsure if it was crossing the line or not. He had seen the teen leave dinner, obviously uncomfortable, and he couldn't get Zane backing away from him a few minutes ago out of his head.

"He's never been alright," Cole's mouth pressed into a smile, taking a sip of Zane's water.

"Can I ask why?" Lou leaned on the counter, and Cole set the glass back on the counter.

"His home life was... turbulent, to put it nicely. He only joined recently. Took him a while to get used to us," The young adult confessed, and his father nodded in understanding.

"Will he be alright?"

"Eventually, I hope so. He has a long way to go. He's only fifteen, you know."

"Really? How old are your other friends?"

"Nineteen."

"They put him with you three? It's like they had a death wish for him," Lou snorted, and Cole chuckled.

"Yeah. Just don't treat him any differently, ok? He doesn't like when people walk on eggshells around him."

"Duly noted," Lou nodded grimly. "We should probably go to bed as well."

"Yeah, agreed. See you in the morning, dad."

"See you in the morning."


	21. Chapter 21

Zane sat at the piano, seriously considering taking a nap. He had been there for about an hour while Lou worked with (or "scolded", as Zane would put it) the other three on vocal techniques, even proclaiming that he didn't know how Kai got inducted into a musical academy with seemingly no vocal skill. Zane was just about falling asleep on his hands when Lou startled him awake.

"Zane can you _please_ play Kai here his starting note again?" Lou sighed, rubbing his forehead with his fingers. Zane plopped his finger down on the key, looking at the group with a bored expression.

"Now a-one, a-two, a-one two three four..." Lou counted them off, and Zane buried his face into his arms again. Their "piece" didn't really require him to play, so his time was mostly spent playing the note that the other three had to sing. He signed along with what the other three were saying in his head, and was in the middle of imagining a full-on sign language music video, fully aware of the irony, when a hand rested on his shoulder.

"If you want to go read or something in the other room, go ahead," Lou said, and Zane nodded, giving a cheeky wave to his friends before going into Lou's study, finding rows of music books upon shelves on the walls. Deciding to read up on music theory, he slunk into a cushiony chair in the corner, and lost himself in the book, time escaping him as he read.

* * *

Suddenly, all too soon, it was the day of the performance. Zane clutched his piece to his chest, sitting against the wall of the left wing with his knees pulled up to his chest. He had never felt nerves quite like this, although the fluttering of anxiety in his stomach was not a new feeling. He felt a body slide down next to him, and glanced over to see Cole sitting next to him, lips drawn into a thin smile.

"Stage fright?" The Earth Ninja asked, and Zane nodded slightly, looking around at his competitors. There were a few wearing sparkly clothes, one wearing a bird mask, and even one rehearsing on a unicycle.

"Yeah, I get it. I was never too keen on preforming either. But at least you don't have to sing. You lucked out in that regard," Cole jokes, and was rewarded with a small smile from the Ice Ninja. "At least people will be staring at the three of us and not you."

Zane nodded slightly, running his fingers over the pages, creased from hours of him nervously thumbing through the music. Zane jumped as the announcer began the competition, fixing his bowtie nervously. He and Cole had to help the other two fix their ties before they arrived, Kai complaining about how uncomfortable he was all the while.

Act after act went by, including an act that looked suspiciously like a few snakes in fake beards, until the ninja were the last one to go.

"Alright guys," Cole whispered into their little huddle, their arms slung around each other's shoulders. "We can totally pull this off. Kai and Jay, please try to stay in tune. Zane, don't stop playing, no matter the hell we do in front of you. And me, I'll try to not disappoint my dad."

"Admirable goal," Jay nodded, ignoring the obvious insult thrown his way.

 _"And now introducing... Spin Harmony!"_

"Okay guys, here we go," Kai grimaced, and the four took their places on stage.

Zane sat down at the piano, dancing his fingers over the keys for a second before flipping to the correct page and beginning to play. The three in front dig a few fancy moves with their Spinjitzu before Zane heard the telltale shout of Pythor ordering snakes to attack.

Zane remembered Cole's orders to continue playing, and as he glanced over to see the three incorporating the snakes into their routine, he decided to switch it up. He quickly flipped to Entry of the Gladiators and continued playing, much to the audience's delight.

About a minute into his song, he heard a gasp, and turned around to see Cole just having completed some complicated dance move that he didn't know, the audience cheering wildly.

His fingers stopped playing as the judges held up two scores of ten and one zero that was very quickly corrected, and the ninja accepted the trophy before hurrying offstage.

They set the trophy down as they enjoyed a very quick group hug, the group congratulating each other on fighting moves and on Zane's quick song change. They were interrupted by Lou entering from a side door, the huddle breaking apart, Cole picking the trophy back up.

"Son, I..." Lou's hands moved like he wanted to say something else, but nothing was coming out, so he opted to hug his son instead.

"You didn't tell me you were a ninja!" His father broke apart the embrace with a start, and Cole chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, we're not from music school. Far from it," Cole scratched the back of his head with his other hand.

"Well, I gathered that. Y'know, for ninja, you guys aren't that bad."

"Thanks, I guess," Cole smiled.

"Zane also hadn't touched a piano in years," Jay announced, and Lou nodded respectfully.

"Very well done, for not a lot of experience. Would all like to come to lunch after? There's this place-"

" _Watch out!_ " Cole yelled, diving on top of his dad, practically throwing the trophy as a pile of steel beams toppled on the pair.

"Cole!" Kai yelled, dashing forward along with the other two, trying fruitlessly to lift up the beams, about to start melting the beams when the pile started to move. Cole rose slowly, orange power running over his body, collecting in his arms and fingers as he held the metal above his dad, who had rubble and dust all over his black suit.

"His true potential!" Jay exclaimed excitedly. "This must be what Sensei was talking about!"

Cole dumped it off to the side, arms immediately dropping tiredly, crouching on the ground with a huff.

"Is... everyone ok?" He panted, and Kai was just about to respond in the affirmative when he glanced around to see the trophy gone.

"Yeah," The Fire Ninja nodded slowly. "Our best friend took the trophy though."

"We can get that back another time. You're exhausted and we just won a singing competition. Anyone up for some lunch?" Cole smiled at his dad before helping him up off the floor, the father-son pair laughing as the group exited, off to enjoy some well-earned lunch.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey y'all! If this chapter isn't as crazy or as major as you hoped, then sorry, I wrote it that way on purpose. Enjoy the chap!**

* * *

After a long few days of Jay reaching his true potential after pricking himself on a fang and kissing Nya and the ninja subsequently dealing with his bragging, the ninja received a letter that confused them to no end.

"Uh, Zane? This one's for you," Cole held it up, inspecting the return address. "You might not want to read it though..."

The Ice Ninja grabbed the letter, and read the front of the envelope, silently sighing with a visible eye-roll before ripping it open. His father. Just wonderful. He scanned the letter lazily, but his eyes widened when he got past the passive aggressive insults at the top. It was an invitation of sorts, claiming that some old friends of his mother's wanted to see him, and his father had agreed to host them. If Zane were to accept, he could bring along one guest of his choosing.

He passed off the letter to Jay to interpret, and slapped a hand over his eyes. Jay helpfully left the beginning out as he read through the letter out loud, the others falling silent in response.

"So..." Jay shifted, looking at the Ice Ninja. "What's the verdict, Frosty?"

Zane peeked out from under his fingers, and slowly nodded, lowering his hands.

 _My father's friends are the ones I don't like. My mother's aren't so bad._ Zane signed carefully, and the others nodded in understanding.

"Well, if that's the case, then you're not going without one of us. I'm sure you feel the same, but I don't really trust your padre," Kai growled, and Zane was quick to agree.

"When's the date?" Cole asked, and Jay scanned the letter. His eyes widened before he chuckled nervously, lowering the letter with a half smile on his face.

"Uh, today?"

* * *

That afternoon, Jay and Zane stood outside the Julien residence, the mansion almost fully repaired from the snake attack. Zane shuffled his feet nervously as Jay took a deep breath. Both ninja wore dress shirts and pants, along with a belt with their respective golden weapons on them to complete the look. The others had insisted they bring the weapons with them, and the duo were easy to convince, so Jay ran his fingers along the cord connecting his nunchucks with a sigh.

"Alright Zane, you ready?" Jay pulled his lips into a tight smile, and Zane nodded, pushing over the gates with ease. They approached the door, and Zane knocked with a few short taps. The white panels swung open to reveal the family's butler, a forced smile on his face.

"Ah, young Julien, you've returned. The master mentioned you might be returning today," The man lead the two inside, nervously eyeing the weapons around their waists, and the door swung shut behind them.

They heard voices from the room over, and Zane's eyes narrowed as he tried to decipher who was present. So far his list read Maria, Nora, and Celeste. Not too bad. Zane led Jay into the room most often used for social gatherings to see the women he had guessed sitting around a table. His father was nowhere in sight. All three guests' eyes swiveled towards him at once, and they all seemed to burst at the seams.

"Zane!" Maria gasped.

"It's been so long!" Nora grinned.

"You've grown so much!" Celeste commented excitedly.

They all crowded him, and Zane didn't know whether to shrink away or face his company with a smile. He cursed his conflicting instincts as they responded to his startled expression with sympathy, all stepping away with a strange sadness in their eyes. Jay moved forward, giving Zane a few moments to recover as he talked.

"Hi, I'm Jay. Zane's coworker and friend," Jay smiled, and the ladies shook his hand one by one. "Nice to meet you all."

"Why don't you two sit down?" Maria invited, and the two took seats next to each other, the three women filling in around them. One chair was left empty.

"So, I assume you're translating for Zane?" Celeste asked, and Jay shrugged.

"I can if you want me to."

"So, Zane," Nora's attention turned to the white-haired boy with interest. "How's life treating you now? You know, after you left this place," She sneered the last few parts, knowing exactly how the Ice Ninja felt.

Zane shrugged, and was about to reply when familiar footsteps made him freeze with his hands raised to his chest. Julien took the empty seat, right next to his son.

"Yes, please do continue. How has your life been outside of 'this place'," Julien said with the exact same tone, and Zane curled his hands in his lap, eyes flickering to Jay, who was giving his father a look of pure hatred.

"Do you mind? We're in the middle of a conversation here," The Lightning Ninja set his jaw in a line after he spoke, and Julien gave him a cold smile.

"I'm aware. However, you are sitting in my guest room, in my chair, speaking with my son," Julien put extra emphasis on the last _my_ , and Zane only watched passively as his father reached across him to retrieve a biscuit from the center plate.

"Victor, please. We came here to talk with Ariana's son, not for you to silence him," Celeste frowned as Jay's scowl deepened.

"You asked me to host," He lightly shrugged, taking a bite of his bread nonchalantly.

"Yes, but..." Maria trailed off with a sigh of defeat, taking a cookie off the same platter. Victor went to pour himself a glass of water, but found the pitcher was empty.

"Zane, fill this pitcher. You know where the water is."

The container was set down in front of the Ice Ninja, who stared with an unreadable look in his eyes.

"Zane," Victor warned, a steely look settling in his eyes. His son returned the gaze.

"Zane, now."

The young Julien grit his teeth, and signed something he never thought he would to his father.

 _No._

He felt a strange energy dancing in his finger tips, but he paid no attention to it as he continued.

 _You do not tell me what to do anymore. You are not my family._

The three women stared in silence, not understanding a single thing that was going on.

"Of course I am," Julien jabbed a finger in Zane's chest. "You are blood related to me. You are my son, whether we like it or not. Which means you answer to me."

Jay could only hide his giddy grin as he realized what has happening. The electric blue coursing down Zane's arms was eerily similar to Cole's orange and his yellow. Zane was reaching his true potential.

 _No, I am a ninja. My friends are my family. You cannot take this away from me._ The light in Zane's arms reached its peak, ice crystals forming at his fingertips as he signed. _I am my own person. I do not belong to you._

The subsequent flash illuminated the room. The women briefly yelped out of shock as the light blinded them, and Jay had to squeeze his eyes shut. When he opened them, the floor surrounding Zane was coated in a thick layer of ice, a light dusting of snow surrounding the pair. Zane's chair was knocked over, and Julien was on the floor, hair mussed and eyes wide.

"What... was.."

"Now, will you kindly leave us alone?" Jay asked politely as Zane collapsed backwards onto him of exhaustion, breathing heavy.

Julien coughed sheepishly, nodded, and slunk out of the room.

"Now," Jay grinned at the women, who stared with dumbfounded faces. "Where were we?"


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey y'all! So sorry it's been so long! Schoolwork has taken over my life. As a warning, this chapter has references to panic attacks, so if that's not your cup of tea, then stop reading after the line break. Enjoy the chap!**

* * *

Zane softly padded into the dining room, bending down to look under the table. Lloyd was curled up in a ball, hood over his head with just a few blonde strands sticking out. The Ice Ninja sat down on the floor and leaned his head against a wooden leg.

The poor kid had just discovered his green-hued destiny less than an hour ago, after a long month of being held captive by the Serpentine. He had put on a brave face in front of his father and uncle, but as soon as the attention was taken off of him for a second, he had fled to an unknown part of the Bounty to hide. Lloyd peered out from over his hoodie sleeves, giving the Ice Ninja a half-hearted glare.

"Go away," He protested, but Zane shook his head lightly, gently biting his cheek from nerves. Lloyd sighed, and scooted over, giving the Ice Ninja room to join him. Zane complied, wedging next to Lloyd under table, muscles tense with trying to keep him upright in the confined space.

"Why are you always the one to bug me?" Lloyd grumbled, and Zane shrugged in response, and the newly named Green Ninja stopped resisting fully, unfurling from his ball to rest his cheek on Zane's knee. The Ice Ninja found the gesture sweet.

"Do you think Kai's mad at me?" Lloyd asked with nervousness creeping into his tone. Zane shook his head vehemently, but the kid didn't look convinced.

"Are you sure? I know how much he wanted to be the Green Ninja, and then I come along and just take it. I don't know how to be a ninja," He ranted, and Zane smoothed out the part of Lloyd's hair that was still sticking out from his hood. "I just don't want him to hate me."

Zane didn't quite know what to do. Lloyd knew little to no sign language, and there were so many things he wanted to say to the eleven year old clinging to his leg, so he did the one thing he could do. He gave the boy a light hug, and that was enough for Lloyd's tense grip to ease, recognizing the fragility and uncertainty in the Ice Ninja's embrace.

"Thanks," Lloyd grumbled, sitting up. "Are you hungry? I kinda want some food," He crawled out from under the table, gesturing with his head for Zane to follow him. The Ice Ninja complied, and soon he was fixing the young ninja a sandwich while Lloyd sat on the counter, watching with interest as Zane cut up the ingredients.

Kai happened to stroll in then, patting Lloyd on the shoulder as he passed, stopping next to Zane. The Fire Ninja said something to the teen in a low whisper, to which Zane nodded and continued cutting the onion he was working on. As Kai was walking out again, Zane tapped on the counter a few times to get Kai's attention, and when he did, he signed something in a quick burst, and Kai nodded slowly.

Lloyd bit the inside of his cheek, a little frustrated.

"What's going on?" He asked innocently, and Zane shrugged as he swept the onion to the side. Lloyd huffed, but straightened up a little as his eyes caught something unusual.

"What's that?" He pointed to the pendant that hung around Zane's neck, and the Ice Ninja grabbed his shopping list that was lying nearby, simply writing _mother's_ on the paper. Lloyd nodded, although his curiosity wasn't quite sated.

"Why'd she give it to you?" The kid reached for it, and Zane flinched away, protectively clasping a hand around it. Almost immediately, his guard dropped upon seeing Lloyd's hurt and confused expression.

 _Sorry._ Zane cautiously unfurled his fingers and let Lloyd touch the charm.

"It's pretty," The Green Ninja complimented, unsure of what made the Ice Ninja go off, not wanting to trigger it again. Zane nodded in thanks, returning to chopping his ingredients. Lloyd didn't mention the locket again.

* * *

 _Talk to him._ Zane ordered, crossing his arms to emphasize his point.

"It's just... it's just awkward, ok? If I tell him that I'm not jealous, I'd be lying to him, and I can't do that," Kai groaned, and Zane softened a little, gaze laced with sympathy.

 _Do not lie to him. He thinks you hate him. It will do good for him to hear it from you that you do not._ The Ice Ninja urged, nudging Kai inside the Bounty.

"Okay, mom," Kai grumbled with no real malice, leaving Zane alone on the Bounty's deck. The teenager felt the cold wind through his gi, which he was still wearing from the rescue mission earlier. It was late November, and the fast approaching winter excited him. He wanted it to snow so badly it almost hurt, yearning for the feeling of watching gentle flakes fall on the crisp, frozen ground. He closed his eyes and smiled, subtly conjuring up a few flakes in his hands, just to feel. He almost wished his element was snow, rather than the cold, brutal stab of ice. His thoughts were interrupted by an unfamiliar presence.

"Zane, is it?" Garmadon asked gruffly, and Zane nodded, fingers tensing. "Relax, you helped save my son today."

The Ice Ninja released the tension in his arms, but still eyed the villain with caution, not sure what to expect.

"Besides, I believe Lloyd has taken a liking to you. I can't see why, but he trusts you. That is a good enough reason for me to, I suppose," Garmadon clapped his two left hands against Zane's back as a gesture of friendliness, but it only succeeded in making Zane jump, the teenager feeling the intentional roughness behind it. Something was up.

"Not a fan of contact, hm?" Garmadon mused, enjoying the Ice Ninja's reaction, which made Zane glare at the evil lord with contempt. "Why?"

Zane shifted uncomfortably, refusing to look him in the eye.

"What's the matter? Dad got your tongue?" Garmadon laughed knowingly, and Zane froze, color draining from his face. He unconsciously took a step backward. _He knew. How did he know? How did he-_

"Aw, did that scare you? Afraid I'm going to hit you like he did? Or maybe lock you in your room for a few days, hm?" Garmadon's grin only grew more malicious as Zane tried to stop the flood of awful memories that invaded his psyche, but to no avail. He could feel the bruises, the hunger pangs, the way his own nails would leave bleeding marks on his skin. The villain in front of him continued to taunt him, his mind going fuzzy with memory, his stomach twisting itself into knots.

The last thing he remembered was sinking to the floor before he blacked out, the faint figure of Garmadon looming over him burned into his memory.


	24. Chapter 24

**Wow, it's been a while. This is by far not my best chapter, writer's block has been hitting me hard lately. Enjoy the aftermath of Garmadon's destruction! Oh, and to the guest that recommended I read "Tock Tick", I had already read it, and I was so flipping honored that you mentioned this story to Piggon! Should I start replying to reviews? I feel like the odd one out. Ironically, let me know in the reviews, and make sure I'd have something to reply to. Enjoy the chap!(I'll stop rambling now)**

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Much to his surprise, Zane woke up in his bed. Kai was sitting on the bunk opposite his with a scowl on his face, glare directed at the floor. Seeing Zane sit up out of the corner of his eye, he looked up with a much softer expression.

"Hey," He greeted, and Zane waved slightly, still on edge from the previous events. "You're safe now, it's been taken care of. How're you doing?"

The Fire Ninja walked over, and Zane sat cross-legged under the covers to make room. The Ice Ninja shrugged noncommittally, and Kai nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, I'm sure you feel like shit, huh? I would too after all of that."

 _How do you know?_

"Jay heard some of it and lost it. Cole had to practically hold both of us back by our collars so we wouldn't try to take on Garmadon in hand to hand combat. Sensei took care of his brother while Jay occupied Lloyd, and Cole and I made sure you were ok. I don't think Jay could've looked at you without wanting to punch a wall, and I'm in here because I would've thrown hands with a certain individual if I had stayed out there."

Zane glanced towards the door, wondering for a split second what the chaos outside was like before deciding he didn't want to know.

"You want anything? Food, water, a book?" The Fire Ninja offered, and Zane shook his head, instead resting his head on his friend's arm. He hadn't realized he was shaking until then. Luckily, Kai didn't mention it, but Zane was sure he was thinking about it as the hot head let him take comfort in the contact. The Fire Ninja scooted closer so he could let the teen rest on his chest, a far more comfortable position as Kai loosely wrapped his arm around Zane. The brunette wasn't too experienced with calming him down when he got too worked up, so he instead let the Ice Ninja take the reigns, and his breath was just evening out when a subtle knock at the door made them both look up.

Kai opened his mouth to ask who the visitor was when the door opened anyway, Sensei stepping in quietly. Kai could see the tension leave his mentor's shoulders when he saw Zane awake, and especially when Zane gave a small nod to greet him.

"The others are already aware, but we believe Garmadon's motive was.." Sensei paused for a moment, looking down with sadness at the pair below him. "To take Zane as a hostage for leverage for the golden weapons. I don't know what for, but he has made it clear the Fang Blades aren't of interest to him, and they are the only valuables we own."

Kai squeezed Zane tighter to his chest, fury rising in his eyes.

"No way. As long as that creep is around, Zane's in sight of one of us," The Fire Ninja growled, and Zane bit his lip, but couldn't reply due to his arms being pinned in Kai's grip.

"Kai, could you leave the two of us alone for a moment?" Wu asked softly, and Kai mumbled something incomprehensible, but acquiesced, shutting the door with a soft thump.

 _I do not understand._ Zane trembled, hands barely steady enough to sign. _He was just in a truce with us. We are taking care of his son. Why is he attempting to harm me?_

"I wish I could explain how the Devourer's venom works in full," Sensei sat down next to Zane on his bed, guilt overwhelming him as he took in the sight of the nervous student beside him. "But I asked to talk to you for a different reason."

Zane grabbed the pillow from the head of his mattress, and hugged it between his legs, attempting to steady the shaking in his arms once more.

"It is my fault that my brother knew of your past. I thought he was himself enough to not use that information against you, my intentions were to prevent him from being too rough around you, Zane. I put too much trust in him, and I cannot explain how sorry I am that he said those things to you. I heard some examples from Jay, and it is no wonder your body worked itself up enough to lose consciousness. I wish I had the foresight to not trust someone so affected by the venom," Wu said in a low voice, in case Kai was still near. Zane was resting his chin on his pillow, and one still slightly unsteady hand reached out to take his mentor's in a silent act of forgiveness.

Wu smiled, and the two sat in silence while Zane calmed down. The Ice Ninja knew as soon as he stepped out of the room, he was fair game for his friends to fuss over, so he decided to stay in his room with his Sensei, where the world seemed to pause as he hugged his pillow tighter.


End file.
